text:
by Reuven Chaim (Rudolph) Klein
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein is the author of the newly published Lashon HaKodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew [available here]. His book is available online and in bookstores in Israel and will arrive to bookstores in America in the coming weeks. Rabbi Klein published articles in various journals including Jewish Bible Quarterly, Kovetz Hamaor, and Kovetz Kol HaTorah. He is currently a fellow at the Kollel of Yeshivas Mir in Jerusalem and lives with his wife and children in Beitar Illit, Israel. He can be reach via email: email@example.com.
For the purposes of this discussion, we shall divide the region of Mesopotamia (the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers) into two sub-regions: the southern region known as Sumer (Shinar in the Bible) and the northern region known as Aram. Under this classification, Sumer incudes Babylon and the other cities which Nimrod (son of Cush son of Ham) built and ruled in southern Mesopotamia (Gen. 10:8–10). The northern Mesopotamian region of Aram includes the city of Aram Naharaim, also known as Harran, and Aram Zoba, also known as Aleppo (Halab). Both regions of Mesopotamia shared Aramaic as a common language.
In painting the picture of Abraham's background, most Biblical commentators assume that Abraham was born in Ur and that his family later migrated northwards to Harran. The Bible (Gen. 11:28; 11:31; 15:7; Neh. 9:7) refers to the place of Abraham's birth as "Ur Kasdim," literally "Ur of the Chaldeans." Academia generally identifies this city with the Sumerian city Ur (although others have suggested different sites).[1]
According to this version of the narrative, Abraham's family escaped Ur and relocated to Aram in order to flee from the influence of Nimrod. The reason for their escape is recorded by tradition: Nimrod—civilization's biggest sponsor of idolatry—sentenced Abraham to death by fiery furnace for his iconoclastic stance against idolatry.[2] After Abraham miraculously emerged unscathed from the inferno, his father Terah decided to relocate the family from Ur (within Nimrod's domain) to the city of Harran in the Aram region, which was relatively free from Nimrod's reign of terror (Gen. 11:31). It was from Harran that Abraham later embarked on his historic journey to the Land of Canaan (Gen. 12).
Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews mentions a similar version of events. He quotes the first-century Greek historian Nicolaus of Damascus who wrote that Abraham, a "foreigner" from Babylonia, came to Aram. There, he reigned as a king for some time, until he and his people migrated to the Land of Canaan.[3]
Nahmanides (in his commentary to Gen. 11:28) offers a slightly different picture of Abraham's origins and bases himself upon a series of assumptions which we shall call into question.
He begins by rejecting the consensus view that Abraham was born in Ur Kasdim by reasoning that it is illogical that Abraham was born there in the land of the "Chaldeans" because he descended from Semites, yet Chaldea and the entire region of Sumer are Hamitic lands. He supports this reasoning by noting that the Bible refers to Abraham as a "Hebrew" (Gen. 14:13) not a "Chaldean."
He further proves this point from a verse in Joshua (24:2) which states, Your forefathers always dwelt 'beyond the River', even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor. The word always (m'olam) in this context implies that Abraham's family originated in the "beyond the river" region, even before Terah. Similarly, he notes, the next verse there (24:3) states And I took your forefather Abraham from 'beyond the river' and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, which also implies that Abraham is originally from the region known as "beyond the river." For reasons we shall discuss below, Nahmanides assumes that the term "beyond the river" favors the explanation that Abraham was originally from Harran, not Ur Kasdim.
Nahmanides further proves his assertion from the fact that the Bible mentions Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife and he went forth with them from Ur Kasdim to go into the land of Canaan and they came unto Harran and dwelt there (Gen. 11:31). In this verse, the Bible only mentions that Terah travelled to Harran with Abraham, Sarah, and Lot, yet elsewhere, the Bible mentions Nahor lived in Harran (see Gen. 24:10 which refers to Harran as the City of Nahor). Nahmanides reasons that if Abraham's family originally lived in Ur Kasdim and only later moved to Harran without taking Nahor with them, then Nahor would have remained in Ur Kasdim, not in Harran. Hence, the fact that Nahor lived in Harran proves that the family originally lived in Harran, not Ur Kasdim.
Elsewhere in his commentary to the Bible (Gen. 24:7), Nahmanides offers another proof that Abraham was born in Harran and not Ur Kasdim. He notes that when Abraham commanded his servant to find a suitable bride for his son Isaac, he told him, Go to my [home]land and the place of my birth (Gen. 24:4), and the Bible continues to tell that the servant went to Harran, not to Ur Kasdim, implying that Harran is the place of Abraham's birth. He further notes that it is inconceivable that Abraham would tell his servant to go to Ur Kasdim to find a suitable mate for Isaac, because its inhabitants—the Chaldeans—were Hamitic and are therefore unsuitable to intermarry with the family of Abraham (who were of Semitic descent).
Abraham's early travels according to Nahmanides
In light of his conclusion that Abraham was born in Harran, not in Ur Kasdim, Nahmanides offers a slight twist to the accepted narrative. He explains that Abraham was really born in Aram, which is within the region known as "beyond the river," and is well within the territory of Shem's descendants. He explains that Terah originally lived in Aram where he fathered Abraham and Nahor. Sometime later, Terah took his son Abraham and moved to Ur Kasdim, while Nahor remained in Aram in the city of Harran. Terah's youngest son, Haran, was born in Ur Kasdim. Based on this, Nahmanides explains that when the Bible says Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur Kasdim (Gen. 11:28), the Bible means to stress that Ur Kasdim only was the city of Haran's birth, but not the city where Abraham and/or Nahor were born. After living in Ur Kasdim, Terah and his entourage eventually left and returned to Harran (when Abraham was en route to the Land of Canaan).
The Talmud (TB Bava Batra 91a) mentions that Abraham was jailed in the city Cutha and identifies that city with Ur Kasdim. Nahmanides also cites Maimonides (Guide to the Perplexed 3:29) quotes the ancient gentile author of Nabataean Agriculture[4] who writes that Abraham, who was born in Cutha, argued on the accepted philosophy of his day which worshipped the sun, and the king imprisoned him, confiscated his possessions, and chased him away. Nahmanides explains that researchers have revealed that the city of Cutha is not in Sumer, the land of Chaldeans, but is, in fact, located in the northern Mesopotamian region of Aram between Harran and Assyria. This city is considered within the region of "beyond the river" because it lies between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers (making it "beyond the Euphrates" if the Land of Israel is one's point of reference).[5] Thus, argues Nahmanides, the Talmud also shares his view that Abraham was born in Aram, not Sumer.
Based on his view of Abraham's early life, Nahmanides explains an inconsistency addressed by the early commentators. When God commanded Abraham to go to the Land of Canaan, He told him to leave from your [home]land and from the place of your birth and from the house of your father (Gen. 12:1). The early commentators (see Rashi and Ibn Ezra ad loc.) address the following question: If Abraham had already left Ur Kasdim, the presumed place of his birth, and had moved with his father to Harran, then why did God tell him again to leave the place of his birth? Nahmanides answers that according to his own understanding, this question does not even begin to develop because Abraham was not born in Ur Kasdim, he was born in Harran and later moved to Ur Kasdim, only to return to Harran from where God commanded him to go to the Land of Canaan.
In addition to what Nahmanides wrote in his commentary to Genesis, he repeats this entire discussion of Abraham's origins in his "Discourse on the words of Ecclesiastes."[6]
As we have already mentioned, Nahmanides' position is based on several assumptions, each of which needs to be examined. Firstly, Nahmanides asserted that it is illogical to claim that Abraham was born in Ur Kasdim because the inhabitant of Sumer were Hamitic peoples, yet Abraham was a Semite. This claim is unjustified because there is no reason to assume that only Hamites lived in Sumer, only that Sumer was, in general, a Hamite-dominated principality. Furthermore, even according to Nahmanides' own internal logic, this argument is certainly flawed because Nahmanides himself admits that Abraham and his family did live in Ur Kasdim at some point, thus he clearly concedes that Semites could live there.
Secondly, Nahmanides maintains that while Terah and his two eldest sons were born in Harran, he later relocated with Abraham alone to Ur Kasdim. Nahmanides fails to explain Terah's rationale for moving with Abraham Ur Kasdim and why he did not take Nahor with him. This vital part of the story should have been explained by the Bible or at least by tradition. Abarbanel (to Gen. 11:26) raises this issue as one of five difficulties with Nahmanides' approach. He compounds the difficulty by arguing that if Terah's family originally lived in Harran and only later moved to Ur Kasdim, then the Bible should read and he went forth with them from Ur Kasdim to go into the land of Canaan and they returned to Harran and dwelt there, to imply that they had once lived in Harran. Yet, instead the Bible says and they came unto Harran and dwelt there, implying that they reached Harran for their first time.
Furthermore, Nahmanides proves that Abraham's family originated in Harran not Ur Kasdim from the fact that after Terah took Abraham, Sarah, and Lot from Ur Kasdim to Harran—leaving Nahor where he was—Nahor was also found in Harran, even though he did not come there with his father. However, this proof is also unjustified and had already been addressed by Ibn Ezra (in his commentary to Gen. 11:29). Ibn Ezra writes that it is likely that Nahor arrived to Harran either before or after his father and for that reason he is not listed amongst Terah's entourage when relocating from Ur Kasdim to Harran. In fact, there is Biblical precedent for Ibn Ezra's first suggestion, for when Jacob and his family relocated from the Land of Canaan to Goshen in Egypt, Judah was sent there ahead of the rest of his family (see Gen. 46:28). In the same vein, it is likely that when Terah relocated his family from Ur to Harran, Nahor was sent ahead of everyone else.
In addition, Nahmanides proves from Abraham's incarceration at Cutha that he lived in Aram at the time; however, contemporary scholars seem to agree that Cutha is actually in Sumer, not in northern Mesopotamia as Nahmanides mentions in the name of other researchers.[7] Nonetheless, to Nahmanides' credit, there is some proof that Cutha is in northern Mesopotamia, not in Sumer: The abovementioned Talmudic passage (TB Bava Batra 91a) notes that in addition to his incarceration at Cutha, Abraham was also jailed at Kardu. Where is Kardu? When the Bible tells that the Ark of Noah landed at the mountains of Ararat (Gen. 8:4), all the Tagumim (Onkelos, Jonathan, Neofiti, and Peshitta) explain that Ararat is Kardu. This leads to the conclusion that the location of Abraham's imprisonment was Armenia, north of Assyria and northeast of Aram, the region in which the Ararat mountains lie (in present-day Turkey). In fact, the name Kardu is preserved by a contemporary nameplace in that region: Kurdistan and its inhabitants who are called Kurds.[8] Based on this, one can argue that if Abraham was incarcerated at Kardu, then Cutha is also likely in that same general area, placing the city closer to Aram than to Sumer.
R. Nissim of Gerona (1320–1376), in his commentary to the Torah, quotes Nahmanides and then proceeds to disagree. He argues that even if Ur Kasdim is in Sumer as Nahmanides assumes, the verse Your forefathers always dwelt 'beyond the River' is still not true. This is because the word always implies that Abraham's family never lived elsewhere, yet even Nahamanides freely admits that the family lived in Ur Kasdim, which he does not consider within the region of beyond the river. R. Nissim reasons that if Haran and Lot were born in Ur Kasdim, then Terah's family must have stayed there for at least thirty years (a reasonable age of fatherhood in the post-Babel era, see Gen. 11:10–26) for Haran to be born, mature, and father Lot.
Instead, R. Nissim proposes that Ur Kasdim is, in fact, considered beyond the river. Accordingly, he understood that Ur Kasdim is actually located in northern Mesopotamia [9] and Abraham was born there, as were Haran and Lot, before the family relocated to Harran, which is also within the same region. According to this explanation, Your forefathers always dwelt 'beyond the River' literally means that Abraham's family never left that region, even when they lived in Ur Kasdim.[10] This view is also adopted by Abarbanel.[11]
In addition to the two difficulties mentioned above and R. Nissim's question, Abarbanel points out two more difficulties with Nahmanides' approach. He quotes the verse And Abram and Nahor took for themselves wives... (Gen. 11:29) and notes that by grouping together Abraham and Nahor's respective marriages, the Bible implies that Abraham and Nahor married their wives together—at the same time and place. If so, this passage is at odds with Nahmanides' explanation who understood that at that time, Nahor was in Harran while Abraham was in Ur Kasdim.
Abarbanel's fifth and final difficulty is with Nahmanides' assumption that Ur Kasdim is not considered beyond the river. He cites two Biblical verses which together imply that Ur Kasdim is considered beyond the river. When God identified Himself to Abraham He said unto him: 'I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur Kasdim, to give thee this land to inherit it' (Gen. 15:7). Quoting God, Joshua says I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac (Josh.24:3). When analyzing these two verses collectively, one concludes that Ur Kasdim and beyond the river are synonymous, casting suspicion on Nahmanides' view that Ur Kasdim is not considered beyond the river. (Nahmanides himself addresses this issue by differentiating between being "brought out of" Ur Kasdim and being "taken" from beyond the river, a distinction which Abarbanel rejects.)
Another issue with Nahmanides' abovementioned explanation (although not necessarily crucial to his position on Abraham's birthplace) is his assumption that the Chaldeans were Hamites who did not live together with Semites and would certainly not marry them. This assumption is clearly at odds with other early commentators who assume that the Chaldeans were indeed Semitic peoples. Furthermore, the Bible never explicitly mentions the "Chaldean" people in connection with Sumer until the time of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; thus, there is no reason to assume that the Chaldeans occupied Sumer in the time of Abraham.
The notion that the Chaldeans are Semitic peoples has its roots in early works. Josephus writes in Antiquities of the Jews that the Chaldeans descend from Arphaxad, the son of Shem,[12] an assertion echoed by R. Gedaliah Ibn Yahya (1515–1587).[13] Interestingly, the last three letters of Arphaxad's name (KHAF-SHIN-DALET) spells Kesed (Chaldea), the eponym of the Kasdim (Chaldeans).
Ibn Ezra (to Gen. 11:26) writes that while Abraham was born in Ur Kasdim, the city was not yet known under that name in his time because Kasdim are descendants of Abraham's brother Nahor.[14] It seems that Ibn Ezra understood that in Abraham's time, the Chaldeans had not yet developed into a nation. Similarly, Radak (to Gen. 11:28) writes that Ur Kasdim was not actually called "Ur of the Chaldeans" at the time that Terah's family lived there because the Chaldeans did not yet exist. He explains that the Chaldeans are descendants of Terah's grandson Kesed, son of Nahor (mentioned in Gen. 22:22, see Radak there) who was born later. Radak mentions this a third time in his commentary to Isaiah 23:13 where he notes that the Chaldeans, who descend from Kesed, son of Nahor, conquered the cities originally built by Assur and his descendants.
Maharal of Prague (1520–1609) explains[15] that the Chaldeans were mostly descendants of Assur (a son of Shem, see Gen. 10:22) but were called "Chaldeans" because the descendants of Kesed conquered them. Maharal also equates the Chaldeans with the Arameans, implying that the Chaldeans were not a Hamitic nation, but rather a Semitic nation descending from Aram, another son of Shem (see Gen. 10:22). By equating the Chaldeans with the Arameans, Maharal understood that the Chaldeans were not a Hamitic nation; but were Semitic. Maharal elsewhere[16] also identifies the Chaldeans with the Arameans and notes that his explanation is inconsistent with the words of Nahmanides in Parshat Hayei Sarah, but does not specify what Nahmanides says or even to which passage in Nahmanides he refers. Given our discussion, it seems that Maharal refers to the passage in question in which Nachmanides writes that the Chaldeans are descendants of Ham. In fact, Maharal in his commentary to the Torah (Gur Aryeh to Gen. 24:7) explicitly rejects much of what Nahmanides there writes.[17]
In short, most commentators understand that the Chaldeans were actually Semitic peoples, unlike Nahmanides' assumption that they were Hamitic. Nonetheless, there is some support for Nahmanides' position in the apocryphal Book of Jubilees (11:1-3) which tells that Reu, the great-grandfather of Terah, married the daughter of Ur, son of Kesed, who founded the city Ur.[18] While according to Radak, the Chaldeans descend from Kesed, a grandson of Terah, Jubilees seems to maintain that the Chaldeans descend from an earlier person named Kesed who already lived in the time of Reu, Terah's great-grandfather, and merely married into the Semitic family.[19] Either way, there is certainly no validation of Nahmanides' assertion that the Hamitic Chaldeans and the Semites were completely separate.
There is one Talmudic source which, by reasonable extension, might serve as a source for Nahmanides' assumption that the Chaldeans were Hamitic peoples. The Talmud (TB Hagiga 13a) states that Nebuchadnezzar was "a son of a son of Nimrod." As explicitly noted in the Bible, Nimrod was a Hamite (a son of Cush, son of Ham).[20] Prima facia, the Talmud explains that Nebuchadnezzar was a grandson of Nimrod, thereby making Nebuchadnezzar a Hamite. Although the Bible never mentions explicitly that Nebuchadnezzar was a Chaldean, it certainly implies such by calling his subjects in Babylonia "Chaldeans." Furthermore, the Talmud calls Nebuchadnezzar's granddaughter Vashti a Chaldean (see below), implying that Nebuchadnezzar himself was also Chaldean. All of this together raises the likelihood that the Talmud understood that Chaldeans are Hamites.
Rashi (to TB Pesahim 94b) endorses a somewhat literal reading of the Talmud and explains that Nebuchadnezzar was not really Nimrod's grandson; he was simply a descendant of Nimrod (a view shared by Tosafot to TB Yevamot 48b). Rabbi Aryeh Leib Ginzberg (1695–1785) favors this approach in his work Turei Even (to TB Hagiga 13a), giving credence to the notion that Nahmanides took this Talmudic passage literally as well.
However, the Tosafists (there) reject a literal reading of the Talmud. They argue that since there is no source to the notion that Nebuchadnezzar was a descendant of Cush (Nimrod's father), then the Talmud must not mean that Nebuchadnezzar was literally a grandson or even descendant of Nimrod.[21] Instead, the Tosafists explain that the Talmud was simply drawing an analogy between Nimrod, who was a wicked ruler of Sumer and persecuted Abraham, and Nebuchadnezzar, who was also a wicked king there and persecuted the Jews, as if to imply that Nebuchadnezzar was his "spiritual" heir. Furthermore, there is a Jewish legend which states that Nebuchadnezzar descended from the union of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.[22] According to this legend, Nebuchadnezzar was certainly not paternally Hamitic.[23] Finally, some commentators understand that the Talmud does not mean that Nebuchadnezzar was literally a genealogical descendant of Nimrod, rather that he was a reincarnation of Nimrod.
All in all, there is no clear proof from the Talmud's assertion about Nebuchadnezzar that the Chaldeans were Hamites.
We shall now turn to a discussion concerning the Chaldean language, which may help us better understand the origins of the Chaldean people and whether they were Hamitic or Semitic.
The prophet Isaiah relates that God said, I will rise up against them—the word of God, Master of legions—and I will discontinue from Babylonia its name and remnant, grandchild and great-grandchild—the word of God (Isa. 14:22). The Talmud (TB Megillah 10b) tells that R. Yonatan would expound this verse as an introduction to the Book of Esther. The Talmud understood that this verse refers to the Chaldeans (the people of Babylonia) who destroyed the First Temple. R. Yonatan would explain that its name refers to their script, remnant refers to their language, grandchild refers to their monarchy, and great-grandchild refers to Vashti—the last scion of the Babylonian royal family who was wed to the Persian king Ahasuerus and was executed at the beginning of the Book of Esther. Accordingly, declares the Talmud, the Chaldeans are a nation that has neither script nor language.[24]
However, in actuality, the Chaldeans did have a language, for the Chaldeans spoke Aramaic. Why then does the Talmud not reckon with the fact that they spoke Aramaic? This question is asked explicitly by the Tosafists (to TB Megillah 10b, Avodah Zarah 10a) and is addressed by many commentators.
Rashi[25] explains that the Talmud does not mean that the language spoken by the Chaldeans would cease to exist, but rather that the Chaldeans borrowed their language (Aramaic) from other people (Arameans). According to this understanding, the Chaldeans were the inhabitants of Southern Mesopotamia (i.e. Sumer, where Babylon lies), while the Arameans were the inhabitants of Northern Mesopotamia (i.e. Aram) and are not the same people, they simply shared a common language. Although Rashi fails to explain the significance of the fact that the Chaldeans borrowed Aramaic from the Arameans, his explanation does shed light onto the Talmud's declaration that the Chaldeans do not have a language; the Talmud means that the Chaldeans do not have their own language.
The Tosafists (there) offer another answer. They explain that the when the Talmud states that the Chaldeans have neither language nor script, this does not refers to a common language and script, but rather to a royal language and script. That is, the Talmud acknowledges that the Chaldeans spoke Aramaic, but understood that they are to be "discontinued" in that their royal class would no longer have a special language of its own. It seems that the Babylonian royalty originally spoke a separate language (perhaps Akkadian[26] or the even older Sumerian) than did the rest of the nation, and this language was eventually lost as punishment for their role in the destruction of the First Temple.[27]
R. Shlomo Alkabetz (1500–1580) proves this explanation in the introduction to his work Manot HaLevi (a commentary to the Book of Esther). He shows from the fact that Nebuchadnezzar and all the Babylonian kings after him spoke Aramaic—by then the dominant language in the Ancient World—that the original Chaldean language fell into disuse. In fact, he notes, the Bible tells that the Chaldean language had to be taught to members of the royal household (see Dan. 1:4), proving that it was by then relegated to obscurity. It is unlikely that the "Chaldean Language" referred to is actually Aramaic because one would assume that members of the royal court in Babylon already knew Aramaic![28] R. Alkabetz further notes that by the time of Ahasuerus, king of Persia, the Chaldean language was almost extinct and with the demise of Vashti, the language completely died, allowing Ahasuerus to declare each man shall rule over his house and speak the language of his nation (Est. 1:22), marking the utter end of the language of Babylon.
Interestingly, R. Moshe Ashkenazi Halpern (c. 1555)[29] writes in his work Zikhron Moshe (to Est. 1:22) that Vashti justified her impudence by claiming not to understand the language of Ahasuerus. He explains that this is the meaning of the verse the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment (Est. 1:12) which can super-literally be translated as the queen Vashti refused to engage in the king's words. Because of this, upon executing Vashti, Ahasuerus proclaimed that each man should be able to speak the language of his nation, i.e. without his wife claiming not to understand him.
Maharsha and R. Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter (1847–1905)[30] reject a literal reading of the Talmud and instead explain it esoterically. They understand, in slightly different ways, that when the Talmud mentions that the language of the Babylonians would be discontinued, it does not refer to their actual language but to the "essence" of their existence, which their language represents. They are therefore not bothered by the question of the Tosafists that Aramaic continued and continues to exist as a spoken and written language because they understood that the Talmud was not actually talking about the discontinuation of their language, it was discussing the discontinuation of their core essence. Once their core essence disappeared, they needed to adopt the "essence" of other nations in order to continue to exist, thereby losing their own identity. If this meta-physical reality was mirrored by physical reality (a point which is unclear in those sources), it would probably mean that the Chaldeans originally spoke Akkadian and/or Sumerian, but when their "essence" was lost, they needed to borrow Aramaic from the Arameans, their northern neighbors (similar to the understanding of Rashi).
However, Maharal, who similarly interpreted this passage esoterically[31] and understood that the Chaldeans and Arameans are one and the same (as mentioned above), would certainly not agree with this theory. Instead, Maharal cites a Talmudic passage (TB Sukkah 52b) which relates that God "regretted" that He created the Chaldeans. Because of this "regret," the Chaldeans are considered non-existent, personae non grata. If the Chaldeans do not exist, then their language, Aramaic, is to be considered equally non-existent, lingua non grata. For this reason, explains Maharal, Aramaic is not counted in the seventy languages.[32]
To summarize, according to Maharal, the Chaldeans and the Arameans are one and the same, so the Chaldean language is to be identified with Aramaic. This explanation precludes the view of Nahmanides who maintains that the Chaldeans were Hamitic people (as opposed to the Arameans who were Semitic). In fact, we have already shown that Maharal explicitly disagrees with Nahmanides on this issue.
On the other hand, Rashi (and perhaps others) understood that the Chaldeans took Aramaic from the Aramean inhabitants of northern Mesopotamia. According to this explanation, the Chaldeans are a distinct people from the Arameans. This explanation leaves open the possibility for Nahmanides' view that the Chaldeans were the original Hamitic inhabitants of Sumer, albeit their Semitic neighbors to the north influenced them linguistically.
Similarly, according to the Tosafists, the Chaldean language was spoken by the royal court in Babylon in tandem with Aramaic. This explanation also leaves open the possibility for Nahmanides' explanation that the Chaldeans were the Hamitic inhabitants of southern Mesopotamia, and despite their acceptance of Aramaic (which originated from their neighbors to the north and had spread throughout most of the civilized world), they also maintained a distinct Chaldean language to be used by the ruling class.
In short, Nahmanides proposes a new theory that Abraham was actually born in Harran (in the northern Mesopotamian region of Aram), before his family relocated to Sumerian Ur and eventually returned to Harran. Nahmanides offers several justifications for his theory, most significant of which is the notion that Sumerian Ur, which was inhabited by the Chaldeans, was Hamitic territory and it is therefore unlikely that Abraham's family, who were Semitic, originated there. We cast doubt on this proof by noting that even if the Chaldeans occupied Sumer at that time, they were not necessarily Hamitic peoples and certainly there is no justification for arguing that non-Hamitic families could not live there. Additionally, we explored the possibility of Hamitic origins for the Chaldean by surveying various commentators' understandings of the "Chaldean Language" mentioned in the Talmud. While some of those explanations definitely allowed room for Nahmanides' position, none of them directly support it. Finally, each of the proofs that Nahmanides offers for his view is based on certain assumptions and we have shown that each of those assumptions is not universally agreed upon.
[1] A. Marcus, Keset HaSofer (Tel Aviv, 1971) pgs. 296–297 writes that Ur Kasdim was definitely in the southern region of Mesopotamia, close to the Persian Gulf.
[2] TB Pesachim 118a, Bereishit Rabbah §38:13, Targum Jonathan (to Genesis 11:28), and more.
[3] See Kitvei Yosef ben Matityahu, Kadmoniut HaYehudim Vol. 1 (Jerusalem: Reuven Mass, 1939) pg. 31.
[4] The work Nabataean Agriculture was written in Arabic by the 9th century Muslim philosopher Ibn Wahshiyya. It is supposedly an Arabic translation of an ancient Syriac text describing the beliefs of the Sabian religion. However, academia believes this work to have been forged (at least in part) by Ibn Wahshiyya himself.
[5] Interestingly, several popular maps place Ur Kasdim southwest of the Euphrates River, meaning that it is on the same side of the Euphrates as is the Land of Israel, technically outside of Mesopotamia, albeit still within the same general vicinity. This lends credence to Nahmanides' view that Aram is considered "across the river" while Ur Kasdim is not, even though both are in the general region of Mesopotamia. See A. Kaplan, The Living Torah (New York: Maznaim Publishing Corporation, 1985) pg. 42; Ramban Al HaTorah Bereishit Vol. 1 (Artscroll/Mesorah Publications, 2004) pg. 593; and Y. Elitzur & Y. Keel (eds.), Atlas Da'at Mikra (Jerusalem: Mossad HaRav Kook, 1998) pg. 66.
[6] C. Chavel (ed.), Writings of the Ramban, Vol. 2 (Jerusalem: Mossad HaRav Kook, 1963) pp. 202–203.
[7] M. Berenbaum and F. Skolnik (eds.), "Cuth, Cuthah," Encyclopedia Judaica 2nd ed. Vol. 5. (Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007) pp. 344–345.
[8] Y. Elitzur & Y. Keel (eds.), Atlas Da'at Mikra (Jerusalem: Mossad HaRav Kook, 1998) pg. 386.
[9] P. Berlyn, "The Journey of Terah to Ur-Kasdim or Urkesh," Jewish Bible Quarterly Vol. 33:2 (Jerusalem: Jewish Bible Association, 2005) suggests that Ur mentioned in the Bible is actually Urkesh, an ancient city in Northern Mesopotamia. Other than that, she accepts the narrative proposed by Nahmanides (that Terah originally lived in Harran where Abraham was born, relocated to Ur, and later returned to Harran), without mentioning him by name.
[10] L. A. Feldman (ed.), Pirush HaRan Al HaTorah (Jerusalem: Machon Shalem, 1968) pp. 153–154.
[11] See there for an explanation of why Ur is associated with the "Chaldeans" if it is located in Aram. Rabbi Eliezer Ashkenazi (1512–1585) disagrees with Nahmanides' narrative and instead proposes that Abraham never lived in southern Mesopotamia. He argues that Abraham's family moved from within northern Mesopotamia from Aram Naharim to Harran (which he understands to be two separate places) and all references to Ur of the Chaldeans do not refer to a southern Mesopotamian city named Ur but rather to the Chaldean (Sumerian?) dominion over northern Mesopotamia in Abraham's time. See Ashkenazi's Maasei HaShem (Warsaw, 1871) pp. 78a–79a .
[12] Kitvei Yosef ben Matityahu, Kadmoniut HaYehudim Vol. 1 (Jerusalem: Reuven Mass, 1939) pg. 27.
[13] Shalshelet HaQabbalah (Jerusalem, 1962) pg. 218.
[14] A. Marcus, Keset HaSofer (Tel Aviv, 1971) pgs. 296 criticizes Ibn Ezra for confusing Kesed son of Nahor with Kesed of the family of Arphaxad.
[15] Gur Aryeh to Deuteronomy 32:21.
[16] Gevurat HaShem (Ch. 54).
[17] See also "Galut V'Geulah" (by Rabbi Chaim Wallin of Baltimore) printed in Kovetz Yeshurun Vol. 7 (New York-Jerusalem: Machon Yeshurun, 2000) pg. 572 who elaborates on what Maharal writes there.
[18] E. Yassif (ed.), The Chronicles of Jerahmeel (Ramat Aviv: Tel Aviv University, 2001) pg. 121 gives "Milcah bat Ruth" as the name of Reu's wife.
[19] Nonetheless, Jubilees (9:4) mentions that Arphaxad's land includes Chaldea, which implies that the Chaldeans are descendants of Arphaxad (as Josephus understood).
[20] Rabbi Gershon Chanoch Heinich Leiner (1839–1891) discusses Nebuchadnezzar's lineage in light of his previous position at the court of the Assyrian king Sannechreb. See Rabbi Leiner's Petil Tekheilet, (Lublin, 1904) pp. 137–138.
[21] R. Hayyim Yosef David Azulai (1724–1806) in his work Petah Einayim (to TB Hagiga 13a) notes that a contradiction between selections of Tosafot to differing tractates is not considered a contradiction because they were authored by different people. However, Tosasfot HaRosh, which was ostensibly written by one person, namely R. Asher ben Yehiel (1250–1327), also contains this contradiction: In Tosafot HaRosh to TB Hagiga 13a, he writes that Nebuchadnezzar was not literally a descendant of Nimrod, while in Tosafot HaRosh to TB Yevamot 48a, he writes that he was. This contradiction has yet to be resolved.
[22] See Rashi to I Kgs. 10:13 and J.D. Eisenstein (ed.), Otzar Midrashim (New York, 1915) pg. 46 and Rabbi David Yoel Weiss' Megadim Hadashim (to TB Hagiga 13a).
[23] Nonetheless, it is possible that his Hamitic lineage comes from his maternal genealogy, for Sheba is listed as a grandson of Cush (Gen. 10:7). However, it is equally plausible that the Queen of Sheba herself was Semitic as the name Sheba also appears twice in Semitic genealogies, namely as a son of Joktan (Gen. 10:28) and as a grandson of Abraham (Gen. 25:3).
[24] The Talmud elsewhere (TB Avodah Zarah 10a) makes a similar comment about the Romans (who destroyed the Second Temple), see the commentators there.
[25] To TB Megillah 10b, as explained by R. Yosef Hayim of Baghdad (1832–1909) in his Talmudic work Ben Yehoyada (there).
[26] If, in fact, the "lost language" to is Akkadian, then it is much easier to understand how and why Aramaic suddenly superseded Akkadian as the lingua franca of the Ancient world and why rabbinic literature seemingly never refers to that language.
[27] Azulai in Petah Einayim (to TB Megillah 10b) quotes an anonymous scholar who explains the juxtaposition of the lack of a royal language and the death of Vashti. He explains that because Vashti rejected Ahasuerus' request to appear before him unclothed by publicly responding to him a disrespectful way, Ahasuerus had no choice but to execute his wife in order to save face. Had there been a royal language used internally by the ruling class, Vashti's insolence would not have created such an impact because she would have responded to her husband in that language, limiting the knowledge of her disrespectful response to her husband and his royal courtiers, while the other attendees at the party would not have realized what transpired.
[28] Ibn Ezra (Daniel 2:4) writes that when the Bible says that Nebuchadnezzar's necromancers spoke to him in Aramaic, this refers to the Chaldean language, which was spoken by the king. See also M. Amsel, Shut Hamaor Vol. 1 (Brooklyn, 1967) pp. 472–474.
[29] R. Halpern was either the father-in-law or brother-in-law of the more famous scholar R. Shmuel Eliezer Eidels (Maharsha). See Zikhron Moshe (Jerusalem: Zichron Aharon Publications, 2003) pp. 7–9 for further discussion.
[30] Sfat Emet (to TB Megillah 10b).
[31] In the introduction to Ohr Hadash (a commentary to the Book of Esther).
[32] See Tiferet Yisrael (Ch. 13), Gevurat HaShem, (Ch. 54) and Chiddushei Aggadot (to TB Sotah 33a).


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First, Second and Third Worlds: Where do we stand?
The terms First, Second and Third World are outdated geopolitical models that are scoffed at by most modern scholars. There never was a universally accepted definition for the terminology. The labels were akin to so-called "politically correct" verbiage for which there is no source.
Nobody can tell us the origin of words that are "politically correct" or who sets the standards. A political pundit coins a phrase in a conversation or speech, the media grabs it as a good headline "hook," and voilà! We have a new "politically correct" term.
The First, Second and Third World labels took that route, and they have been beat to death by the media and the politically illiterate since they were loosely coined at the beginning of the cold war.
Now, when most people are asked about the Third World, they refer to poverty-stricken nations. Ask the same folks about the First and Second World and you will get a blank stare followed by stuttering and an evasive answer because they have not the foggiest notion of what the terms mean.
If asked about the Fourth World, most would be totally lost to the point of embarrassment and the person asking the question would be accused of being rude and pedantic.
Outdated or not, the idea of observing the shift in geopolitical blocs is significant. Without doubt, labeling countries and putting them into loosely defined groups is primitive, inaccurate and possibly insulting. But since better terminology does not exist, the accepted definitions of the First, Second, Third and Fourth Worlds will have to suffice.
Defining the terms would be a good way to start.
The First World is a bloc of so-called developed, capitalist, democratic–industrialized countries aligned with the post-WWII American economic and political model. Those countries include all of North America, Western Europe, Japan and Australia.
The Second World was the Eastern block of the communistsocialist states, which no longer exist since the fall of the Soviet Union. During the Cold War there were 19 communist countries. Today there are only five: China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam.
The Third World, which is three-quarters of the global population, includes states not aligned with either the First or Second World blocs.
In the early 1970s, British Columbian Shuswap Chief George Manuel coined the term "Fourth World." He was referring to widely unrecognized nations of indigenous peoples living within or across First World national state boundaries.
The Fourth World included nomadic tribes that were indigenous to areas that were developed into First and Second World nations by foreign governments that invaded and occupied their lands. Specifi- cally, he was referencing the plight of the Native American tribes of the United States and Canada.
Despite ever–evolving definitions, the concept of the Third World loosely identifies countries that suffer from high infant mortality, low economic development, high levels of poverty, and are heavily dependent on industrialized nations.
The slowly developing and technologically less advanced nations of Asia, Africa, Oceania and Latin America are included in this group. However, the key factor is the lack of a middle class – with impoverished millions in the lower class and a small, elite upper class controlling the country's wealth and resources.
Second and Third World countries share a common trait. Both have a struggling or nonexistent middle class.
Industrialized First World countries, particularly the United States, with increasing labor costs, recognized that the Second and Third World offered untapped workforces. Unskilled labor could be hired for a fraction of the cost of unionized American workers.
American investors opened factories in Second and Third World countries, trained the workers that were otherwise uneducated, and paid them a fraction of American wages. However, the outsourcing destroyed many American industries, and hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs to foreign labor. Today, finding products manufactured in the USA is the exception rather than the rule.
Foreign investment has caused a shift in the three-World paradigm by developing the middle class in the Second and Third Worlds. With our middle class shrinking at an alarming pace, and a Fourth World subculture growing due to a broken immigration system, how long will it be before we are a Third World nation with a poverty stricken lower class, elite upper class, and insignificant middle class?
Granted, this is a simplistic view to an extremely complex problem, but space is limited and the information must be condensed. However, the subject matter needs to be addressed.

subset: commoncrawl


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1. Rush linebacker Paul Kruger2. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe3. Defensive end Cliff Avril4. Cornerback Aqib Talib5. Rush linebacker Anthony Spencer6. Free safety Jairus Byrd7. Offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer8. Defensive tackle Henry Melton9. Wide receiver Mike Wallace10. Free safety Dashon Goldson11. Defensive end Michael Johnson12. Left tackle Branden Albert13. Cornerback Brent Grimes14. Left tackle Jake Long15. Right tackle Andre Smith16. Wide receiver Wes Welker17. Defensive lineman Desmond Bryant18. Guard Andy Levitre19. Cornerback Sean Smith20. Running back Steven Jackson21. Defensive end Michael Bennett22. Defensive tackle Randy Starks23. Strong safety William Moore24. Right tackle Phil Loadholt25. Wide receiver Greg Jennings26. Wide receiver Danny Amendola27. Tight end Dustin Keller28. Defensive tackle Jason Jones29. Free safety Louis Delmas30. Tight end Jared Cook31. Running back Reggie Bush32. Cornerback Chris Houston33. Guard Louis Vasquez34. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora35. Outside linebacker Daryl Smith36. Free safety Ed Reed37. Tight end Martellus Bennett38. Nose tackle Terrance Knighton39. Running back Rashard Mendenhall40. Fullback Jerome Felton
Although the 2013 NFL Free Agency period is one month away and the market will be thinned at the top by franchise tags and contract extensions, this is a good time to survey the prospective field. The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off in less than two weeks, and it is in Indianapolis that free-agency scuttlebutt commences as player representatives meet face-to-face with team officials.This is a free agency position ranking. As it stands, I believe cornerback to be the deepest, most talented group of players with expiring contracts. I think quarterback is the weakest, for an obvious reason: NFL teams simply don't let franchise signal callers hit the open market. Offensive tackle and defensive end look very strong. Inside linebacker and center are bereft of quality starters.On the back page is my Free Agent Top 40 for the 2013 offseason. I did not include Joe Flacco or Ryan Clady, because neither of them is going anywhere. Tony Gonzalez's contract is up, but his future is murky at best and he is not included, either.Restricted Free Agents are not considered here because they so rarely change teams.1. CornerbackThis position is loaded with quality NFL starters, and the prohibitive $10.67 million cornerback franchise number ensures it will stay that way. Aqib Talib, 27, Brent Grimes, 29, Sean Smith, 25, Chris Houston, 28, Derek Cox, 26, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, 26, all have experience as No. 1 corners, and of them only Grimes will be 30 years old when the 2013 season starts.Super Bowl champ Cary Williams, 28, is believed to be looking to break the bank and may have trouble landing the lucrative deal he desires. E.J. Biggers, 25, Antoine Cason, 26, Keenan Lewis, 26, and Mike Jenkins, 27, could be more affordable targets with their best football ahead of them. Bradley Fletcher, 26, and Greg Toler, 28, are potential diamonds in the rough. Darius Butler, 26, Brice McCain, 26, Kyle Arrington, 26, and D.J. Moore, 25, can cover the slot on passing downs. Pacman Jones, 29, is coming off a quietly solid season as Cincinnati's nickel back. Jerraud Powers, 25, and Tracy Porter, 26, are intriguing "rehab" projects after injury-affected years.Obviously past their primes, Sheldon Brown, 33, Quentin Jammer, 33, Terence Newman, 34, and Rashean Mathis, 32, each may have a year or two left as solid starting cornerbacks in the league. Brown, Jammer, and Mathis could potentially extend their careers by converting to safety.Although former first-round pick Leodis McKelvin has not panned out as a cover corner, he is still only 27 and led the NFL in 2012 punt return average while bringing back two punts to the house.2. Offensive TackleIf cornerback is the gold standard in 2013 free agency, offensive tackle isn't far behind. Even with Clady off the board, Andre Smith, 26, Branden Albert, 28, Jake Long, 27, Sebastian Vollmer, 28, Will Beatty, 27, Gosder Cherilus, 28, Phil Loadholt, 27, Jermon Bushrod, 28, and Sam Baker, 27, all have extensive, successful track records as strong NFL starters and will be paid accordingly.Since the positions are valued differently inside the NFL, offensive tackles can be halved into left and right. Left tackles are the highest paid O-Line position. Right tackles are viewed as inferior, although the league's best running teams unfailingly field high-impact tackle play on the right side.Albert, Long, Beatty, Bushrod, Baker, and Bryant McKinnie, 33, are the best left tackles free agency has to offer. Smith, Vollmer, Cherilus, and Loadholt are difference makers on the right side. Vollmer is especially intriguing because he possesses athleticism and length to play both tackle spots, and made five starts on Tom Brady's blindside as a rookie in 2009. If Vollmer hits free agency -- and the Patriots will probably make sure that he does not -- it's conceivable that interested teams would view him as a left tackle, setting up Vollmer for a monster pay day.3. Defensive EndThis year's free-agent defensive end class isn't quite as talent rich as the big names atop the list might indicate. But it's a reasonably solid group with, by my count, at least seven capable NFL starters.Cliff Avril, 26, has 29 sacks and nine forced fumbles over the past three seasons. He's "scheme versatile," capable of fitting 3-4 defenses at outside linebacker and 4-3s as a hand-in-the-dirt end. Avril is the clear prize of this year's defensive end class. Michael Johnson, 26, isn't far off after a breakout, 11.5-sack season. Always oozing talent, Johnson has long faced questions about his motor, however, and it's red-flaggy that he put together a career year in a contract season. It makes him an ideal franchise-tag candidate for the Bengals. So perhaps he won't hit the market.Versatile Michael Bennett, 27, is No. 3 in the defensive end rankings and can rush the passer from both tackle and left end. Bennett was a key contributor on Tampa's league-best run defense in 2012. Osi Umenyiora, 31, Dwight Freeney, 32, and Israel Idonije, 32, all have good football left but are past their primes. Matt Shaughnessy, 26, once looked like a future star in Oakland, but lost his passing-down role to early-season street free-agent pickup Andre Carter because Shaughnessy couldn't generate any pressure. He still may be the best value signing in this group.Wallace Gilberry, 28, Mike DeVito, 28, Darryl Tapp, 28, William Hayes, 27, Lawrence Jackson, 27, and Jonathan Fanene, 30, are all role players but give the position some free-agent depth.
4. Wide ReceiverThe wide receiver free-agent eligibles fall off a cliff after the initial six or so players, but there is obvious star power at the top. Dwayne Bowe, 28, can take over games when focused, and he's never, ever played with a competent quarterback. Mike Wallace, 26, was considered the NFL's premier deep threat as recently as the 2012 offseason. Greg Jennings, 29, is a playmaker both in the slot and along the sidelines. Wes Welker, 31, is uncoverable between the numbers. Soo too is Danny Amendola, 27, at least when healthy. Brian Hartline, 26, was stretched as the Dolphins' No. 1 receiver in 2012, but is still coming off a breakout year.The best of the rest are slot receiver/special teamer Julian Edelman, 26, brittle burner Donnie Avery, 28, mentally unreliable Jerome Simpson, 26, washed-up Randy Moss, 36, and Braylon Edwards, 29, concussion-prone Austin Collie, 27, and flash-in-the-pan Kevin Ogletree, 25.5. Defensive TackleThere's a good chance you've never heard of Desmond Bryant, 27, but you need to get used to it. He's going to be a very hot free agent. I recall watching tape of offensive skill position players last offseason, and defensive end No. 90 for Oakland kept showing up. In 2012, Bryant kicked inside to replace injured Richard Seymour and graded out as Pro Football Focus' No. 6 overall defensive tackle. He was the best player on a bad defense. A Harvard alum with a scheme-versatile body (6'6/311), Bryant will appeal to 3-4 teams as a five-technique end and 4-3 clubs at interior tackle.Almost like offensive tackle, defensive tackle can be split into two parts: Pass rushers and run-plugging space eaters. The best free-agent interior pass rushers are Bryant, Henry Melton, 26, Randy Starks, 29, Jason Jones, 26, Seymour, 33, Chris Canty, 30, Glenn Dorsey, 27, and Corey Williams, 32.The top free-agent space eaters include "Pot Roast" Terrance Knighton, 26, Isaac Sopoaga, 31, Vance Walker, 25, Casey Hampton, 35, Roy Miller, 25, Sammie Lee Hill, 26, and Pat Sims, 27.6. Rush Linebacker"Rush linebacker" is traditionally associated with 3-4 defenses. As the 3-4 becomes more and more prevalent, we need to consider "rush 'backer" its own position rather than grouping it in with defensive ends or outside linebackers.Paul Kruger, 27, was the Super Bowl champions' best pass rusher for the duration of the 2012-2013 season and is arguably the premier prize of free agency. He's going to rake in a ton of money. Anthony Spencer, 29, was always a stud edge-setting run defender before breaking out with 11 sacks this past year. He outplayed future Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware. Connor Barwin, 26, registered 11.5 sacks in 2011 before crashing back to Earth with three in 2012. Barwin is not an explosive outside-edge rush 'backer and is a candidate to get overpaid on the open market.Shaun Phillips, 31, Antwan Barnes, 28, and Victor Butler, 25, round out the rush linebacker depth. Butler is intriguing. Buried behind Spencer and Ware the past four seasons, Butler still managed 11 sacks and four forced fumbles while starting just 1-of-63 games. He is a free-agent sleeper.7. SafetyThe safety class looks swell on paper, but I'm afraid it'll be thinned out by franchise tags and seemingly obvious re-signings. The franchise number for safeties is an affordable $6.798 million; only tight ends and kickers cost less to tag. I think we'll see top safety Jairus Byrd, 26, tagged and quite possibly William Moore, 27. The Niners also won't let Dashon Goldson, 28, get away.So that would leave Ed Reed, 34, Ronde Barber, 37, physically unreliable Louis Delmas, 25, and LaRon Landry, 28, benched ex-Patriot Pat Chung, 25, former first-round disappointment Kenny Phillips, 26, and Texans free safety Glover Quin, 27, atop this year's free-agent safety group.Chung and Phillips might be the safeties to target for teams incapable of ponying up for what'll be an unwieldy price tag on Landry, Byrd, Moore, or Goldson. Chung and Phillips both possess Pro Bowl-caliber talent; only bad injury luck has diminished their market value. Since both are under 27 years old, it's quite possible Phillips and Chung would be amenable to one-year, prove-it deals.
8. Tight EndI have tight end ranked relatively low, but I think it's a quietly strong group. Especially when you include Texans fullback/H-back James Casey, 28, who demonstrates Hernandezian movement skills in pass routes but played out of position as a lead blocker in Gary Kubiak's offense. Casey needs to get out of Houston and find a chance to start. He can get open and has great hands.Fred Davis, 27, is a field stretcher and underrated blocker if his Achilles' checks out. Dustin Keller, 28, has been held hostage statistically by putrid Jets offenses and needs to leave New York to maximize his god-given ability. Jared Cook, 25, is a freak of nature talent. Martellus Bennett, 25, is a terrific blocker and flashed taking his receiving game to a top-ten level when healthy in 2012.Other free agent tight ends include backup types Delanie Walker, 28, Brandon Myers, 27, Dallas Clark, 33, Ben Watson 32, and Anthony Fasano, 28.9. Outside LinebackerThis is where free agency begins to really thin out. The top get would be longtime Jaguars outside linebacker Daryl Smith, who can play strong side, weak side, or even man the middle. Smith, however, is going on age 31 and struggled in his only two 2012 appearances after returning from recurring groin problems.Aside from Smith, Erin Henderson, 26, and Philip Wheeler, 28, the best 4-3 outside linebacker free agents all have injury concerns. Thomas Howard, 29, is coming off a torn ACL. Gerald McRath, 26, ruptured his patellar tendon. Justin Durant, 27, has a scary concussion history. Leroy Hill, 30, is facing a suspension. Jonathan Casillas, 25, is brimming with talent but has never stayed healthy.Ultimately, 4-3 outside linebacker offers only stopgap solutions in free agency.10. Running BackSteven Jackson will be the cream of the 2013 free-agent running back crop if he declines his $7 million player option. Jackson has until March 12 -- the first day of free agency -- to decide. It's been expected that S-Jax will indeed decline the option, though it's always possible Jackson and his agent will determine they wouldn't pull in more money on the open market. I'd probably set Jackson's chances of returning to St. Louis at 55:45. If he doesn't, expect Atlanta and Green Bay to be among the contenders that pursue him. At age 29, Jackson has plenty left in the tank.There's a steep falloff behind him.Reggie Bush, 27, is best suited for a complementary, third-down type role in a pass-first offense, ideally playing in a dome. The pass-happy Lions make a lot of sense as a suitor, assuming Bush's price tag is reasonable. Rashard Mendenhall, 25, has talent to be an NFL feature back, but his health has been unreliable the past two seasons and Mendenhall is maddeningly inconsistent on inside runs, too often bouncing outside. Released by the Giants, 26-year-old Ahmad Bradshaw suffers from chronic foot injuries and is much too brittle for any team to count on as a starter. He'll be viewed as a potential committee back or strict backup by clubs in the market for running backs. Cedric Benson, 30, is coming off a Lisfranc fracture. Bernard Scott, 29, returns from a torn ACL.Shonn Greene, 27, Felix Jones, 25, Peyton Hillis, 27, Danny Woodhead, 28, and Cedric Peerman, 26, are other notable free-agent running back names. They are all backups or role players at best.11. Offensive GuardAnother thin free-agent position, guard offers five or six NFL starters with two or three who might command big money should they hit the market. Athletic Andy Levitre, 26, has never missed a start in four seasons with Buffalo and was a top-ten guard in 2012 per Pro Football Focus' ratings. The Bills need to make re-signing Levitre a priority.Donald Thomas, 27, can play all three interior line positions and held up well in seven 2012 starts. Brandon Moore, 32, is limited to right guard but is still blocking at a high level. Louis Vasquez, 25, is well regarded around the NFL and after Levitre may be the likeliest guard to receive a lucrative, long-term deal. Lance Louis, 27, Geoff Schwartz, 26, and Chad Rinehart, 27, are young guards with potential.12. FullbackJerome Felton, 26 brings little to the table as a ball carrier or receiver, but he was the NFL's premier lead blocker in 2012 and deserved first-team All-Pro recognition over Baltimore's Vonta Leach. Fullbacks historically have short shelf lives and ought to max out their market whenever possible. If Felton and his agent are smart, they will prioritize testing free agency unless the Vikings blow their socks off with a contract offer before March 12.Greg Jones, 31, is the only other fullback who might generate serious free-agent interest. Jones is getting up there in age, but he's still a pile-driving run blocker and also excels in blitz pickup.13. Inside LinebackerI haven't studied up much yet on this year's draft-eligible inside linebacker class. But if it isn't stocked with talent, your team is in trouble if it needs a starter inside. Rey Maualuga, 26, is a poor starter and he's among the best free agency can offer. Brian Urlacher's 34-year-old knees are shot. Tim Dobbins, 30, is a major liability in coverage. Dannell Ellerbe, 27, is a candidate to get overpaid on the heels of his team's Super Bowl win.Perhaps the one free agent inside linebacker worth the longest look for needy teams is Brad Jones, a 26-year-old converted pass rusher who more than adequately replaced D.J. Smith for the Packers in 2012. Jones started ten games and outplayed A.J. Hawk. Teams still figure to be wary of Jones because his experience inside is so limited.14. CenterThere isn't a free-agent center who'll be viewed as a surefire starter. Todd McClure, 36, Brad Meester, 35, and Dan Koppen, 33, are all nearing retirement. And they're the best there is in this year's center class.15. QuarterbackWith Flacco a virtual lock to return to Baltimore, quarterback is another position that lacks a single bankable starter. Matt Moore, 28, comes the closest after losing the Dolphins' starting job to Ryan Tannehill last summer. Moore will probably wind up in a camp battle on a quarterback-desperate team like the Jets, Cardinals, Jaguars, or Bills.Tarvaris Jackson, 29, Jason Campbell, 31, Josh Johnson, 26, Byron Leftwich, 33, Brady Quinn, 28, and Rex Grossman, 32, are all low-end NFL backups. Chase Daniel, 26, and Brian Hoyer, 27, have major arm strength limitations. David Garrard, 34, never did latch on with a team in 2012 and it's unclear if he envisions football in his future. Vince Young, 29, may be done in the league.


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Organize It! Creative Ways to Store Craft Supplies
Organizing arts and craft areas can be a bit challenging. Supplies come in all different shapes and sizes, as liquid or solid, and are fragile or bulky. That said, you can find very useful storage solutions if you think outside of the box. Featured here are some clever storage solutions made from unconventional items.
Even better, many of these creative organizing solutions are eco-friendly, made of salvaged or repurposed materials.
Shown above from left to right:
1. A hanging canvas shoe organizer doubles as window treatment and craft supply storage!
2. A salvaged railing (from a discarded crib, porch railing, fencing etc.) serves as the framework for hanging mini shelving, hooks, rods and baskets. (Get the how-to instructions from Elizabeth from Crafty Nest.)
3. A repurposed towel bar installed at eye-level keeps supplies in arm's reach. Shelving doesn't work this low because it would be within head-bopping range.
4. A coffee or bar cart makes an excellent paper station and can be rolled out of sight when you need more floor space.
5. A salvaged plank repurposed into a shelf holds vintage tins for brushes and paints.
• Imaginative Craft Rooms from Around the Web
• A Colorful Craft Room
• The Craft Room Goes High Tech: Pro-Style Paper Cutting at Home
(Images: 1. BHG, 2. Elizabeth from Crafty Nest, 3. Good Housekeeping, 4. i heart organizing, 5. BHG)


text:
There's never been a better time
to apply to Otterbein University.
Apply online today!
Armed & Innocent. Dir. Ruya Hakkakiyan. Harrington Park, NJ: Janson Media, 2002. 26 May 2008
Documents the stories and personal experiences of children forced to be direct participants in wars around the world and narrated by Robert DeNiro and Ishmael, Isha and Bernard. (Streaming video, 17 min.)
Bling: A Planet Rock. Dir. Raquel Cepeda. Prod. Filippo Bozotti and Rebecca Chaiklin. Chatsworth, CA: Image Entertainment, 2007.
Reserves HD9677.S5 B55 2007
Ishmael Beah traveled to Sierra Leone in 2006 with hip-hop celebrities who meet the victims of the civil war, and learn the connection between hip-hop and the victims of the blood diamond industry. (DVD, 87 min.)
Blood Diamond. Dir. Edward Zwick. Burbank: Warner Home Video, 2007.
Reserves PN1997 .B578 2007
Danny Archer (Matt Damon) is an ex-mercenary turned smuggler. Solomon Vandy (Hounsou) is a local Mende fisherman, and Jennifer Connelly is a journalist. During the 1999 explosive civil war Sierra Leone, these men join together for two dangerous missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son. The son was conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed across the alternately beautiful and ravaged countryside.
(DVD, 143 min.)
Children and Armed Conflict. Children and Armed Conflict. Prod. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. UNICEF, 2007. 26 May 2008
Ishmael Beah narrates this video to mark the 10th anniversary of the landmark United Nations report by Graça Machel, Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. (Streaming Video, 6:39). Also available @ http://www.un.org/children/conflict/english/videos.htm
Cry Freetown. Dir. Sorious Samura. London: Insight News Television, 2000. Reserves DT516.9.F73 C7 2000
Award-winning cameraman Sorious Samura returns to Sierra Leone to expose the horror of his country's civil war. In January 1999, the rebel forces attacked Freetown, the capital, killing thousands of civilians. (VHS, 28 min.).
Diamonds of War: Africa's Blood Diamonds. Prod. Michael Rosenfeld. Washington: Partisan Pictures and National Geographic, 2007.
Reserves HD9677.S52 D533 2007
Examines the black market diamond trade in Sierra Leone, which for years has funded armed civil insurrection. (DVD 56 min.)
Ezra. Dir. Newton I. Aduaka. San Francisco: California Newsreel, 2007.
Reserves PN1997 .E98 2007
Tells the story of Ezra, a young boy kidnapped and forced to become a soldier with a rebel faction in the Sierra Leone Civil War. Ten years later, he is brought before a truth and reconciliation commission and made to revisit and understand his crimes so as to begin the process of psychological healing. (DVD 105 min.)
Family Across the Sea. Dir. Domino Boulware. San Francisco: California Newsreel, 1991. Reserves E185.93.S7 F35 1991
A delegation of Gullah people travels from the United States to Sierra Leone to trace the roots of their heritage. (VHS, 56 min.)
Go. Dir. Poole, Laren, et al. El Cajon, Calif.: Invisible Children, 2008.
Reserves DT433.223 .G6
In 2007, the Invisible Children organization posed a challenge to youth around the world: raise one million dollars in one hundred days to rebuild schools in war-torn northern Uganda. Thousands of students got involved, and twenty were rewarded with the adventure of a lifetime, a trip into Africa's longest running war. (DVD, 40 min.)
God Grew Tired of Us. Dir. Quinn, Christopher. Culver City: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2007. Reserves DT157.673 .G63 2007
Follows three of the "Lost Boys" from the Sudan who were forced to leave their homeland due to a tumultuous civil war. The film chronicles their triumph over seemingly insurmountable adversities and a relocation to the United States, where the Lost Boys build active and fulfilling new lives but remain deeply committed to helping friends and family they have left behind.
(DVD, 90 min.)
Invisible Children. Dir. Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole. El Cajon, CA: Invisible Children and People Like You, 2006. Reserves DT433.223 .I58 2006
In Uganda's long-lasting civil war, many children have been abducted to be trained as child soldiers. This film documents the children's life and general social conditions in Uganda in 2003. (DVD, 55 min.)
Ishmael Beah on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Comedy Central. 15 Feb. 2007. 2 July 2008 http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=82274
Lord's Children, Wide Angle. Dir. Oliver Stoltz and Ali Samadi Ahadi. Perf. Aaron Brown. PBS, 2008. 4 Aug. 2008 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/ episodes/lords-children/video-full-episode/2188/.
Lost Boys of Sudan. Dir. Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk. Alexandria, VA: POV: PBS, 2004. Reserves E184.S77 L6 2004
Follows two Sudanese refugees on a journey from Africa to America. Orphaned as young boys in one of Africa's cruelest civil wars, Peter Dut and Santino Chuor survived lion attacks and militia gunfire to reach a refugee camp in Kenya along with thousands of other children. From there, they were chosen to come to America. Safe at last from physical danger and hunger, a world away from home, they find themselves confronted with the abundance and alienation of contemporary American suburbia. (2 DVDs, 87 & 55 min.)
One Family: Picture a story; Moving On. Dir. The Documentary Project for Refugee Youth, and Global Action Project. Ny: Global Action Project, 2002.
Reserves HV640.4.U54 O54 2002
Three short films document twelve refugee youths who came to the United States from Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Burundi, and Serbia. These photo-narratives tell their stories as they move forward in their lives. (DVD, 45 min.)
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars. Dir. Zach Niles and Banker White. New York:
Docurama, 2007. Reserves M1630.18 .S54 2007
Uplifting and courageous, this dramatic seven-time award-winning film by Zach Niles and Banker White tracks the journey of a group of six musicians who formed a band after being displaced from their home during a brutal decade long civil war. (DVD, 80 min.)
War Child:A New Fight, A New Weapon. Dir. C. Karim Chrobug. Washington, D.C.: Reel U Films, 2008. DT157.672 .J35 2008
A film detailing the life of Emmanuel Jal, a victim and refugee of Sudan's civil wars. Now a successful hip-hop artist, as a seven- year-old Sudanese boy Jal was conscripted into an army as one of 10,000 child soldiers. Fighting through two separate civil wars over the course of nearly a decade, Jal survived, eventually adopted by a British aid worker. As an adult, he relates his story and his hope for peace through his activism and through popular music, recording and releasing his own work and performing with international stars. (DVD, 92 min.)
War Dance. Dir. Sean Fine,, and Andrea Nix Fine. New York: Thinkfilm, 2008. Reserves GV1799 .W37 2008
Dominic, Rose, and Nancy are three children whose families have been torn apart, their homes destroyed, their innocence lost, and who currently reside in a displaced persons camp in Patongo, Uganda. These children attend a school where they can momentarily forget the brutal realities of their lives, as they participate in music, song and dance. When they are invited to compete in an annual music and dance festival in their nation's capitol, their historic journey is also an opportunity to regain a part of their childhood and to taste victory for the first time. (DVD, 107 min.)
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text:
NEW YORK, July 26 (UPI) -- British rock 'n' roll icon Mick Jagger says he remembers -- even if it isn't with perfect clarity -- the night his band the Rolling Stones closed the multi-artist T.A.M.I. Show featuring American funk legend James Brown in 1964.
The moment in music history is chronicled in the new big-screen James Brown bio-picture Get On Up, which Jagger produced, alongside Brian Grazer.
"My recall of it is about 50 years ago. My recall of it is not perfect. You'll forgive me," Jagger laughed when asked at a New York press conference about the time the Stones irked Brown by closing a concert when he wanted to do it.
"It was a very exciting show. James Brown was definitely the star of the show, but there were many other people in the show that I was really interested to meet for the first time. I never met Marvin Gaye before, for instance. And I got an opportunity to chat with him. There were a lot of us on the show and it was a pretty crazy day," Jagger said. "And the experience was... that James was a bit annoyed about not being the last on the show and as I was the only one that had met him before -- of all the people working on the show, including the producers of the show -- I was like the fall guy. I was like 20 or something and they said: 'You go and talk to him. You know him. You go and call him out; you chew him out.' And when you're 20, you say, 'Sure.' There's no saying, 'That's not my job.' Now I'd say: 'That's not my job. That's your job. You're producing.' But when you're 20, you go, 'Sure, OK, I'll do it.' And, of course, it didn't work. It might have somewhat assuaged his... but it played out and it was what it was. He did this amazing performance and we went on after, but, in the end, I don't think it really mattered. We had to work harder and he worked harder, so maybe it was a better show because of it."
Directed by Tate Taylor and starring Chadwick Boseman, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis, Get On Up opens nationwide Aug. 1.
Brown died in 2006 at the age of 73.


text:
"I Saw You" on a sports bike with a black helmet on
Who saw? Who was seen? Was it you?
Reply or see more "I Saw You" ads at alibi.com/personals
Our eyes met as we waited the red light at the Montgomery & Wyoming Intersection going East.
You: young male on a sports bike with a black helmet on. You were going East on Montgomery. You kept looking my way, flirty.
Me: youngish female in a white Sentra with my windows half down. I was turning North onto Wyoming. I may have been singing and dancing before noticing your gaze. Then I got the green arrow.
Shall we go for a ride together sometime? :)
At Ibiza a month ago, I heard the bartender call you Eddie the Lush 'cause everyone kept buying you drinks. You native, biker with devil horns on your helmet. You stepped in when my ex would not leave me alone. I wanted to thank you, but you only said "that's what I do." Tell me what item I was wearing that you complimented.
You were at Tractor's on August 9th at night and look like Anderson Cooper. You spilled that beer on that young girl and I wished it could have been me. You're so charming, in your forties, cute and nice. I wish we can meet for real soon. What about next Thursday, same time, same place ?
You: bourgeois capitalist, me: random observer. I watched as you drove your late-model Volvo over an innocent pigeon while you had your eyes everywhere but the road. I bet you were on your way to the weekly meditation group to learn how to live in harmony with all the universe's creatures.


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Alibaba Chief Advocates Tough Love - Like Tiananmen Square
Jul 18, 2013 9:03 AM PT
Jack Ma, the billionaire founder and executive chairman of Chinese Internet giant Alibaba Group, said that China's move to violently squelch Tiananmen Square protesters in 1989 was "the most correct decision," adding that "a leader needs to make this kind of decision."
The remarks -- made to the South China Morning Post in May and posted to the outlet's website over the weekend -- have drawn criticism from Chinese netizens and prompted a quasi-retraction from Ma, who said that the quotes "did not reflect what I told the reporter."
The South China Morning Post said it stands by the transcription.
Ma's Tiananmen remarks came in the context of explaining a decision he had made following revelations of fraud within his company. "As a company CEO," he said, "no matter if it's the Alibaba incident, no matter if it's splitting off Alipay, at that point, it's just like Deng Xiaoping during 6/4."
"6/4" refers to June 4, 1989, the day that Deng Xiaoping -- then the Chinese headman -- ordered the military to disperse the Tiananmen protesters, a decision that led to what is believed to be hundreds of deaths.
The Tiananmen comments were removed for a few hours from the SCMP website but were later reposted. The newspaper said that a staff member had made "unauthorized changes."
Ma must have been in rare form during the interview. He also referenced "foreign devils" who accuse the Chinese government of controlling the Internet. If you have 600 million Internet users, Ma said, "this kind of control is impressive."
[Sources: South China Morning Post; The Wall Street Journal]
English Premier League Granted Block Against Streaming Site
The English Premier League, England's top soccer league, won a court order to force British Internet service providers to block FirstRow1.eu, a streaming hub operated out of Sweden that links to a slew of unauthorized video streams of EPL games.
Boasting big-name clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, the EPL is the most popular soccer league on the planet -- indeed, its website boasts that it is "the world's most watched league." This has made television rights obscenely lucrative and, by extension, made illicit streams, which flaunt licensing agreements by broadcasting matches over the Web, that much more of an issue.
BSkyB, for instance, is paying roughly US$1.15 billion per season for broadcasting rights, while fellow broadcaster BT Sport is paying about $375 million per season.
While the UK has been proactive in weeding out copyright-infringing sites -- British ISPs have been ordered to block The Pirate Bay and numerous other file-sharing sites -- this marks the first time a sports-specific site has been ousted. FirstRow1.eu is also the first site to be targeted in the UK that facilitates access to external streams, as opposed to offering streams itself. (The U.S., on the other hand, has long gone after sites providing links to unauthorized sports streams.)
A spokesperson for FirstRow1 told the BBC that it had no plans to shutter, which means people outside of the UK should still have unfettered access to the EPL.
[Source: BBC]
European Commission to Google: We Mean It
The European Commission on Wednesday warned Google that legal action awaits should the search giant fail to appease antitrust concerns.
Europe's antitrust tiff with Google dates back more than two years and could be coming to a head after the company's April concessions failed to appease fed-up competitors. Now Google must offer new ideas for how it plans to satisfy regulators and competitors who think the company is abusing its market dominance (Google has a 90 percent share of the search market in Europe).
Google's previous offers included identifying promotional links found on its results page. Alas, this merely emboldened Google critics, who said that such a plan would give Google products even more prominence and further solidify its dominance.
If EU regulators deem Google guilty of unfair practices, the company could be fined up to 10 percent of its global annual revenue.
[Source: The Guardian]
China Blamed for Failed Negotiations
In the latest U.S.-China tech spate, U.S. Trade Rep. Michael Froman and the Washington, DC-based Information Technology Industry Council were among those who blamed China for the disintegration of talks aimed at eliminating duties on some electronic devices.
China sought to exclude many items from the negotiations, which would have applied to the International Technology Agreement. The current ITA was signed in 1996, obviously predating many technologies that are commonplace today.
China reportedly wanted to remove more than 100 items from the proposed list of 260 products that would be exempted from duties. This, according to the Information Technology Industry Council, would unfairly benefit China by preventing tech products from reaching the Chinese market.
[Source: Bloomberg]


text:
|View Poll Results: True Tears - Episode 11 Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 107. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2008-03-16, 21:56
|Link #81
ショ ン (^^)
IT Support
I was very satisfeid with this episode as once again the pace and direction of the show have taking a turn for the worst. My biggest fear was that the writers would try to play up the drama too much and do something completely out of context but to my joy this has not happened.
Hiromi has a new found confidence which i was 100% sure she would gain when she moved out. This was the best thing for her as she gets her own space and gets to do things on her own terms. Also, its not awkward in the house with Shin and Shins mom. Now she can come over to help and while helping out she can become closer with Shins mom. Ironically, she can now get closer with Shin as well since its not so much a conflict of interest with her living under the same roof. Hiromi knows what she wants and is making steps towards it. The breakfast scene followed by the kiss are all the evidence we need. Her breakup with Jun went as most of us predicted Jun did resist at first but Hiromi unleashed the psychological attack. Hiromi realized long ago who was in Juns heart and played that card brilliant i say. But i have to props to Jun for stepping in at the game that was very cool and quite chivalrous of him.
Noe seems to have hit a brick wall and is not sure what to do with her self. At first i thought she was going crazy but it looks like her grief over realizing who is in Shins heart plus knowing that Hiromi is the person that can help Shin fly was too much. Ironically, I think the problem is she cant cry we all know a good cry to chase away a lot of worries but Noe cant. I expect her meeting with Shin with the start of the final resolution. Im hoping that Shin's completed picture book which she supported him on is enough to make her cry and i hope Noe is finally able to get Shin to understand who he should be with.
Aiko and Nobu went exactly as i and i think 2 others had hoped. Nobu is a great guy and Aiko is a very sweet girl. If he manages to win her over this time it will be on his own merit not someone elses at that point i will say he truly deserves her. I am glad Aiko asked to start over as friends it shows the growth of the characters which is something i must have in a drama if Im going to give it high marks.
Hiromi looked adorable in glasses btw and in the preview her in a Kimono is just as as cute now the long week of pain and anguish till the next episode.
Solid 9/10
|2008-03-16, 21:58
|Link #82
a shounen manga
Though yeah, the events are making me a little confused in regards to how it'll turn out in the end. Either way, I'll keep watching the show!
|2008-03-16, 22:15
|Link #83
Feeling comfy
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 44
|2008-03-16, 22:36
|Link #85
Yummy, sweet and unyuu!!!
Join Date: Dec 2004
|2008-03-16, 22:36
|Link #86
Join Date: Dec 2004
I dont think Shin will leave the ending as such (Jibeta falling and "the end"). He knew it was a bad end, and he was going to tell Noe about it. Maybe Noe will tell him how to make it a good end...
|2008-03-16, 22:41
|Link #87
Yummy, sweet and unyuu!!!
Join Date: Dec 2004
I don't think Jibeta represents Hiromi as her story was 1 page long. Also the chicken story kinda says that reality caught up with jibeta and he became a pancake. There was no fairy tale ending. Jibeta's escape is more like Noe's grandma's as in flying/escape via death...
|2008-03-16, 22:41
|Link #88
Emotionless White Face
Join Date: Feb 2008
I though it was pretty clear in past episodes ?_?
|2008-03-16, 22:44
|Link #89
Yummy, sweet and unyuu!!!
Join Date: Dec 2004
|2008-03-16, 22:51
|Link #90
Anime-Only Viewer
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: USA
This whole episode brought me into another state of confusion again. Things are going along well with Hiromi, but why they does he keep on thinking about Noe throughout? It's as if he is wavering in his feelings. I really hope they don't try to make a switch in the end to surprise us all. This is driving me crazy! I love it! This is going to be a very long week...
Aiko and Nobuse = win all around with that one.
Jun = get a grip and get a clue. Yes, he did a cool thing at the basketball game, but his purpose is wrong and he needs to figure that out.
March 23 just won't come soon enough...
|2008-03-16, 22:56
|Link #91
Special UFO Hunter
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: CR Land
Age: 32
now so confused, I wonder what's next, more Jun, more Hiromi, more Noe
even if HiromixShin probably obvious, me still rooting for Noe, good for Ai, seems to be a happy ending there......I just hope this end the next week and last ep for the final couple
|2008-03-16, 23:20
|Link #92
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
|2008-03-16, 23:34
|Link #93
Yummy, sweet and unyuu!!!
Join Date: Dec 2004
|2008-03-17, 00:14
|Link #94
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Ok.... this is so stupid. What the hell is wrong with that guy Shin.
Why is he so indecisive?
He just got
Spoiler for ep. 11:
and yet he is acting like nothing happened.
When someone did that to you, the proper thing to do is go back to her place and do the same thing.
The writers are probably just delaying or trying to come up with things to stall time. Since it looks pretty much cliche at this point on. What would probably happen is that Hiromi and Shin will be officially dating at the festival. Why? Cuz that's their childhood thing. In fact, that's the only childhood moment they have that they kept playing and playing. It makes sense that the story of hiromi and shin stopped at the festival and will continue at the festival also.
Anyway, I still want to see how the picture book is going to turn out. How he is going to dance in the festival.
However, I'm no longer interested in what will happen to Noe. She is my favorite character but now the writers are just ruining her. I don't even want to know since it looks down hill from here and maybe at the end, she will smiling because she can cry again.
So cliche.
|2008-03-17, 00:18
|Link #95
Yummy, sweet and unyuu!!!
Join Date: Dec 2004
@Fuzzy - Heh not only did he act like nothing happened, he was flashbacking to Noe instead.
My romdar (ROMantic raDAR) is now saying I think Noe is in with a bigger chance. This epi has been undermining the Hiromi x Shin scenario and the preview looks to be building up Hiromi's hopes. Me thinks they are going to try to add some more spice to the show by dashing them in a spectacular way and maybe Jun is the person who ends up picking up the pieces?
|2008-03-17, 00:19
|Link #96
Hail the power of Fujoshi
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: hahahahahahahahaha
Age: 29
I kind of gave up starting from episode 9,when it seem that it's the end for shinxNoe.After watching this episode,it seem like the "race" is still on.I am rooting for ShinxNoe
|2008-03-17, 00:42
|Link #97
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: San Diego
I'd say that Jibeta is probably Hiromi as well. She tried to move out and live on her own, but apparently moved back in.
Though I supported her at first because of her long hair and osana najimi power, Hiromi's lost a lot of my support due to her new Megane-wielding.
I still don't really support Noe either, though, so I guess I'll still be in the Hiromi crowd (though with less fervor) because she at least had her glasses off in that one scene on the pier (or whatever it was, sea wall?).
|2008-03-17, 01:13
|Link #99
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Right now Shin is feeling guilty about hurting Noe because he himself was too weak to go after what he wanted and let things progress to this state. He was berating himself for not doing things properly in that scene when he was standing in Hiromi's empty room that she used to live in at his house.
Last edited by cloudninja; 2008-03-17 at 01:45.
|2008-03-17, 01:29
|Link #100
Some dude
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the city named after our greatest hero.
Jibeta doesn't necessarily represent anyone. The main point is that Raigomaru was just too much of a chicken to step up and try, which is a fancy way for Shinichiro to say "Hell no I won't ever think about flying again."
Shinichiro has little fondness for that kind of end, apparently.
Noe seems to have reached her limit (a bit too extreme?). But it's not the last episode so no one should be dying here (except for Jibeta)
Still supporting Noe, despite all the remarks about the predictable shinXhiromi ending, about which I don't really care anymore. She's still my favorite character
|Thread Tools


text:
Easy Party Decor: Hang Your Garland With Magnets
Such a brilliantly simple solution, and I can't even claim it as my own: my friend was helping me decorate my apartment for my birthday party, and as I debated where to drill holes for hooks to hang the garland from, he said, "Why don't we attach it to the studs with magnets?". Why not, indeed!
This works best, of course, with nice lightweight garlands or ribbons, and for me it worked like a dream. We attached the garland to the ceiling at intervals (studs are generally 18-inches apart), draping it nicely. The only hiccup was that I kept forgetting the garland wasn't actually attached to the ceiling, and would tug at it and rearrange it, causing the magnets to fall! That's when it's very helpful to have someone down on the floor who will repeatedly (and non-judgementally) pass the magnets up to the top of the ladder for you. Teamwork!


text:
Clifton Slay: 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited LJPosted in Ultimate Adventure: 2010 on November 1, 2010
2005 Jeep Unlimited LJ
Driver: Clifton Slay
One of the Ultimate Adventure's handiest assets is Clifton Slay. He's the guy that immediately jumps in and lends a helping hand by spotting, pulling winch cable, reaching for a toolbag, or even wading through mud to reach a stranded rig. Clifton has also turned into UA's official tail gunner, keeping tabs on all us misfits. Keeping us in line is like trying to round up a herd of cats.
- Engine: 4.0L I-6 supercharged
- Transmission: 4-speed automatic
- Transfer Case: 231, JB conversions shaft upgrade
- Axles: Dynatrac ProRock 60, 5:38 gears, Detroit Lockers
- Front/Rear: 51/2-inch Rubicon Express long-arm system
- Tires & Wheels: 37x12.50R17 Goodyear Wrangler MT/Rs on 17x91/2 Spyderlock beadlocks
Other Stuff
Winch & Bumpers: Warn Power Plant Dual Force winch, custom front and rear bumpers
The Rest: T&T Customs (all aluminum) corner rockers and HyLine tube fenders, MasterCraft Sportsman seats, American Rock Rods light bar, Hood louver panel


text:
It's over, folks. Richard Dawkins is writing a humble retraction as we speak.
Views: 163
Yes, because ants communicating with each other about their own needs had much to say in the Qu'ran about King Solomon's mighty hosts.
This isn't even bad apologetics for Islam (particularly tacked on the end of an ABC science video.) The following quote applies to the YouTube poster with his alleged "checkmate" of Dawkins:
"This isn't right. This isn't even wrong."
Wolfgang Pauli's response after reading a colleague's paper, quoted in The Successful Toastmaster: A Treasure Chest of Introductions, Epigrams, Humor, and Quotations (1966) by Herbert Victor Prochnow
This video makes me think of Hellen Hunt when she was listening to Jeff Goldblume talk about chaos theory.
ANYBODY can make an assertion, with or without basis. Backing up said assertion is, of course, another matter. Seems to me the qur'an says something about a flying horse, too. Anybody found one of those yet?
Let us suppose, (just for the sake of discussion),that the Qur'an does indeed tell us that ants can "talk" to each other. I fail to see how that Destroys Atheism.
On the other hand, does this passages in the Qur'an refer to actual ants, or people who are ant-like, in their diminutive status as compared to the supposed "Allah". We certainly call people bugs, asses, gorillas, apes, bulls, birds, puppies, bitches, dogs and so on.
© 2019 Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: The Nexus Group. Powered by


text:
The Board of Directors of Janus Elevator Products, Inc. approved a separation of the company's two core businesses - Janus elevator safety edges and Monitor Controls elevator fixtures. The board plans for Janus Elevator Products to continue as an independent company focused on its safety edge, emergency phone, and digital display components business, and spin-off its Monitor Controls elevator fixtures and touch-panel display business into an independent company.
Each business has leading consumer brands and the new structure, effective October 1, 2011, will allow each to better serve its customers.
The new company, named Monitor Controls Inc., will continue to provide elevator fixtures and touch-panel display technology for the elevator industry. BD+C


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|2007-06-20, 12:37
|Link #1
Join Date: Feb 2006
Age: 30
The Sky Crawlers
It is also directed by Oshii if you care about that.
|2007-06-20, 13:53
|Link #2
Waiting for more taiyuki!
Join Date: Jan 2004
Website is up with a trailer, courtesy of ANN.
|2007-06-20, 18:39
|Link #3
The Commissar Vanishes
I had a hearty laugh at the title of this thread. Actually, I preparing to laugh at 7Th, but then realized the sarcasm.
Anyway, sounds like "Last Exile, Oshii-style". Lots of quotes, lots of character exposition.
|2007-06-20, 20:16
|Link #5
I'm probably the only one who thinks this, but I find Production I.G's character/mecha designs to be very bland with a runny look to it, and their overall frame to frame consistency to be very dodgy and somewhat ugly(Going off Reideen, Ghost In The Shell [which is unique enough to not qualify for this category overall and only get a mention], The Kill Bill Segment, Kai Do Maru, King of Fighters Another Day, IGPX and some of the sequences in the Tri-Ace games that they worked on). This is my type of series, but I don't usually like Production I.G's overall style (When I first saw Gigantic Formula announced I thought it was Production I.G). I'm going to wait for a trailer, but right now based on the website it's likely to slip through my viewership crack.
Last edited by Kaioshin Sama; 2007-06-20 at 20:29.
|2007-06-21, 05:01
|Link #6
Waiting for more taiyuki!
Join Date: Jan 2004
I'm just hoping that it's not being turned into a sappy love story given that the screenplay is by Chiriho Ito.
|2007-06-21, 09:08
|Link #7
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Fields of High Attus
Age: 29
I'm more interested in this involving Tetsuya Nishio than Oshii myself, but I sure hope he is going in a "new direction" with this. Well, we can only wait and see - the trailer has absolutely no animation (only 2 quotes or something right now), and this could be good.
The impression I get is that Production I.G. tends to lean towards projects that get presented in a way such that... that the animation is trying to emulate live-action stuff. Possibly because that seems to automatically make their works look more refined and "mature" and "well-done" on first glance = more interest (especially overseas, I think I.G.'s one of the first studios that got widespread recognition overseas in the last decade).
Downside to this is - at least from how I see it - it doesn't always work, and sometimes the product can end up very stuffy, boring or even bland in terms of presentation/direction. Refined and conventionally "gorgeous", but nothing that feels quite captivating.
So let's hope this doesn't go that way. Although it's not fair to burden it with so much doubting when we haven't even seen a shred of the actual animation or designs yet anyway, it's not like these are godawful staff members by any stretch.
....but hey, I do it all the time
|2007-06-21, 20:28
|Link #8
The Commissar Vanishes
Another small description from Oshii, courtesy of ANN.
Didn't know that Oshii had a family. Still, it begins to sounds like a very interesting personal film to look forward to...
|2007-06-21, 22:10
|Link #10
Waiting for more taiyuki!
Join Date: Jan 2004
Haven't seen the kid in 20 years huh? Standards must be different in Japan. That would not be something to mention in R1. I won't go there.
With this type of a scenario, "love" would have nothing to do with "it" imo. This guy looked a little twisted from the book exerpt too imo via Google translation.
It looks like this may be "tweaked" to attempt to compete with Miyazaki. The guy should give it up already. Miyazaki always lands on top.
|2007-06-22, 07:42
|Link #11
The Commissar Vanishes
|2007-06-22, 08:40
|Link #12
Waiting for more taiyuki!
Join Date: Jan 2004
Hayao Miyazaki is a force of nature imo.
Last edited by orion; 2007-06-22 at 08:54.
|2007-06-22, 14:34
|Link #13
The Commissar Vanishes
That's a very peculiar measurement tool, money. One that neither I, nor anyone I know, would subscribe to. Since, for one thing, it ascribes Pokemon and Yu-gi-oh higher artistic value.
But, in any case, Jedem das Seine.
|2007-06-22, 15:02
|Link #14
Waiting for more taiyuki!
Join Date: Jan 2004
Box office measurements do not measure artistic quality per se. It simply measures what was popular and made money and what didn't.
This is one of the indices that Oshii is looking at when he wants to compete with Miyazaki and what is reported in the media. The other thing being awards received probably. In the end, box office receipts count more imo since Oscar can be elusive.
The bills have to be paid, after all.
|2007-06-22, 15:07
|Link #15
The Commissar Vanishes
He wants to compete with Miyazaki?
Perhaps you should re-read that article, since it appears to me that you misunderstood some parts of it.
|2007-06-22, 17:22
|Link #16
Waiting for more taiyuki!
Join Date: Jan 2004
No misunderstanding. I just read between the lines.
Everybody looks at the box office results nowadays, especially the press. It's a part of a film's prestige and selling power. Theaters won't place films that do poorly at their establishement and it becomes a vicious cycle imo.
Now combining this quote from the press release that I provided earlier....
with the quote from the press release that you provided...
If these 2 films were not competing, then The Sky Crawlers would delay or advance its release date to get out of the way of Miyazaki's film imo.
|2008-01-25, 23:50
|Link #17
Join Date: Dec 2005
Countdown of The Sky Crawlers count 3 Navigate DVD to be released on March nineteenth http://www.production-ig.co.jp/conte...70_/index.html
Movie is slated for a summer premier So as the title implies they will be releasing two more DVDS for the countdown
|2008-04-04, 18:56
|Link #18
Madlax fanboyz
the sound track from the teaser and trailer on youtube is amazing, as expect from Kawai Kenji.
New trailer from the Tokyo Anime Show looks good..... (it is not even on their website yet)
AND DOGFIGHT RASUTO EGUZAIRU-ish YES YES YES , not many people do dog fight nowaday .. it is all about laser guided beam heat seeking infrared weapon
|2008-04-25, 23:38
|Link #20
The Commissar Vanishes
Here be some full-length trailer, courtesy of Manuloz and his great blog.
Looks very good too.
You know, Oshii once said that Spitfire was a third-rate plane and that he was just sick of Messerschmitts, but, apparently, not sick enough. 8)
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