Oakspear

Sure.This appendix was an expansion of a monograph called Was Abraham a Jew? that Wierwille did in the late 50's or early 60's. There is no doubt that a tribe or nation called the Khazars existed and little doubt that the rulers converted to Phariseeic Judaism (which effectively meant that the whole tribe or nation converted). Arthur Koestler, in his book, The Thirteenth Tribe makes that case very well (even though it is very boring reading). Wierwille, perhaps hoping that no one would really read Koestler, or maybe because he didn't understand The Thirteenth Tribe himself, makes several errors in Jew and Judean that wayfers have repeated without question. All modern Jews are the descendents of Khazars.Koestler does not make this point. He posits that most Askenazim, i.e. Jews living primarily in eastern Europe, Poland, Russia, Germany, are descended from the Khazars. The Sephardim, Jews mainly living in Palestine, Turkey, North Africa, and the Iberian peninsula, are the second main division of modern Jewry; KOestler makes no claims that these Jews are descended from the Khazars. Yiddish is the Khazar language written in Hebrew characters, with some changes and adaptions over the years. Yiddish is a dialect of German, as are High German and Low German. It deviates from the latter two languages in that it has admixtures from Polish and Russian, as well as Hebrew. There are few words that can be traced to a Turkic tongue, as Khazarian must have been. A similar language is Ladino, spoken by many Sephardi, which is a Romance language similar to Spanish, with admixtures from Hebrew and Arabic. The modern English word "Jew" is somehow different than the biblical word "Judean". Actually, Jew is a corruption and abbreviation of the word Judean, and in many languages the words are identical. Anyway, the Aramaic word was probably Yehudiim or something like that (no "J" sound in Hebrew or Aramaic!). "Judean" is only a rough transliteration of the Hebrew and/or Aramaic. Wierwille gives a list of English words that meant "Jew", culminating with the modern spelling. Any descent history will show that Jews were present continuously from biblical times through the present. Believing that all modern Jews are descended from the Khazars requires one to believe that the original Jews were wiped out at some point. There is no evidence that this happened, but plenty of evidence to believe that they have survived to the present day. Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

Tuesday night's Tom's Bedtime CD Pick is Quadrophenia by The Who. This is still one of my favorite albums. I bought it back in 1974 (?) on the recommendation of a guy that I worked with at a summer job. There wasn't too many radio-friendly cuts on Quadrophenia, but a few still get played on "classic rock" radio like The Real Me 5:15 and The Punk Meets the Godfather. One of the things that I enjoy about this album is John E's bass playing. I don't know enough about music to tell if he's just playing the higher notes, or if he's got it tuned higher, but there's a melodic quality to his bass playing that almost makes it the lead instrument in some places. I went back to the doctor To get another shrink Started tellin' him 'bout my weakness But he never would change what he'd think Can you see the real me? Can ya? can ya? Socks: Is that Roy B bio widely available?, I'd like to read it. Some of Roy B's early song and album titles lead me to believe that he was (at some point) a Christian. His third album was called A Street Called Straight and he had a cut on his first album called The Messiah Will Come Again(a very soulful instrumental). Not familiar with "Blues in E". Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

Socks: The Roy tunes you mentioned are all great. John's Blues was one of my favorites...I think it was on A Street Called Straight or one of those other early albums. Those soulful instrumentals were always his best work IMO, but he got more recognition for burner albums like Dancin' On The Edge and When a Guitar Plays The Blues. He did a funky version of Green Onions that I really liked too. I agree with your assessment of Gatton. I have a few albums of his here at home that I really enjoy. I think that the comaprison was largely due to both of them being big in the D.C. area at the heights of their careers. Really sad that both men decided to end their own lives. Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

thump...thump...thump...thump...thump (sound of dead horse being beaten) Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

Missed the bedtime pick last night, so we'll go with Tom's Breakfast CD Pick this morning: Deluxe Edition, a compilation of music by Roy Buchanan. Roy was a guitar genius and was known in the 70's as "The World's Greatest Unknown Guitarist". He mostly played blues, but did a mix of fast instrumentals, as well as some fine R&B with stalwarts such as Steve Cropper and "Duck" Dunn. When I was a blues deejay here in Lincoln I used Buchanan's Peter Gunn Theme as intro music to my show, Shades of Blue, and played some Buchanan every week. Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

Okay.... "I wanna wash my feet, cuz they smell wicked" ...are those the lyrics? Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

Buck: Depending on when you saw Mahavishnu, they could be confusing to follow :D--> - well worth the energy though Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

I can't believe you put Gollum in there :o--> I was waiting for a woman to do the Mr. Middle Earth poll, thanks Kath! If I wanted to look like one of the guys in the movie, it would be Aragorn :D--> Why leave out Eomer in your poll? He's kind of a blond hunk, ain't he? Boromir, Faramir, Haldir, Celeborn, Elrond. More male characters to choose from than female. Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

I'm gonna wash my teeth in a tub of Dawn Liquid... Are those the words? Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

Alright...tonight Tom's Bedtime CD Pick is actually a cassette tape...Birds of Fire by Mahavishnu Orchestra. John "Mahavishnu" McLaughlin was the guitarist and principal composer for "the orchestra". Birds of Fire came out in 1973, at the height of Jazz-Rock Fusion (or simply "fusion") era, which included other incredible groups such as Return to Forever and Weather Report. In 1980 I got to see John McLaughlin live at a cozy venue in Manhatten called My Father's Place. Amelia L, a woman in my twig worked for Columbia Records and scored some tickets (Amelia are you a GSer? Remember that Billy Falcon show we went to before he took PFAL?) The opening acts was Ravi Shankar!!!!!, and John played acoustic guitar, accompanied by another guitarist that I didn't recognize. It was probably one of the best concerts I ever saw. Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

Ted: If you ever in the neighborhood, email me and we'll do lunch! Omaha is cool, but doesn't seem to have the depth of local talent that Lincoln does. Ever hear of Magic Slim? He lives here and is part of the house band for the Open Stage on Monday nights. Tom's Bedtime CD Pick: Velvet Underground: White Light, White Heat. The Velvets sound pretty crude and under-produced looking back over the decades, but they definitely took music in some new directions. They were precursers to punk, and in some respects to rap as well. Lou Reed continues to be one of my favorite singers: love that deadpan almost monotone delivery. Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare [This message was edited by Oakspear on January 19, 2003 at 19:28.]

What's your vote for Miss Middle Earth? Personally, Eowyn's long blond tresses and sword wielding prowess do it for me :D-->

Today I saw T2T for the third time. Took two of my kids with me. We all noted how Frodo was starting to look like a drug addict by the end. One of my sons hadn't even seen FOTR, but understood immediately how the ring was addictive and controlling. I saw the scene with the hovering Nazgul in Osgilaith in a different light this time. The first time I thought he was offering up the ring to the Ringwraith, but what he is really doing is standing in the open and slowing putting the ring on his finger. Although this scene does not appear in the books, it is something of a synthesis of several scenes in the books where Frodo feels compelled to put the ring on when the Nazgul are near, even going back to the Black Rider in the Shire. The scene emphasizes that the ring "wants" to go back to it's master, is in fact a part of Sauron. I noted this time how subtly they are highlighting Aragorn's inate leadership qualities without beating us over the head with it. Legolas and Gimli fight at his side with a fierce loyalty; Legolas accepts his rebuke of "then I shall die as one of them" and gains a greater respect for him; Gimli is willing to take on a whole company of orcs, just him and Aragorn ("c'mon, we can take 'em); Theoden, who proudly resists him at first gradually sees his skill as a warrior and leader and rides out with him in a last ditch effort that gains them some time; Eowyn is not in love with just his rugged good looks, but with the kingly way with which he comports himself. The character of Eowyn came more alive for me this time. Shots of her face, showing fierce emotions at key spots in the movie, tell quite a bit. She wants to fight, she wants to lead, she wants to make a difference for her people. Favorite bits: Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli beating up on Wormtongue's goons as Gandalf gets ready to exorcise Theoden. The disarming scene at the threshhold of Medusheld. I warned my sons about Legolas' physics defying horse mount: they laughed their heads off. Legolas standing alone on the hill, picking off Warg riders one by one with his arrows. Four times anyone? Oakspear "We...know how cruel the truth often is, and we wonder whether delusion is not more consoling" Henri Poincare

Prochaine: Since I have retired from the Mike Wars I have more time to drop in on this fun thread. I don't play an instrument or sing (and you can all thank God for that) and I don't know too much about early Way Productions like Hope or socks or Ted F, and cannot add too much in the musical history category...so Tom's bedtime Cd Pick is the best I can do right now :D--> Lincoln, Nebraska, as small as it is, and as off the beaten path as it is, is a major stopover for national blues acts. Some even end up settling down here when they retire (or semi-retire). We had a great blues-jazz open stage a few blocks from where I live that closed down due to financial disagreements a few months ago. They will be starting up again Monday night. So I know where I'll be Mondays! It helps that I have Tuesdays off ;)--> Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads...

Friday night bedtime CD: Secret Treaties by Blue Oyster Cult. I only got to see BOC once, at Nassau Coliseum on Long island. It was during their Godzilla tour. Seems like they opened for Rush, not sure. I always loved when all the band members (even the drummer and keyboardist) would line up and jam on guitars during Cities Aflame with Rock and Roll. Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads... [This message was edited by Oakspear on January 19, 2003 at 19:31.]

Tonights pre-bedtime music: Stevie Ray Vaughn (God rest his soul); a man who did much to bring blues into the mainstream in the 80's and 90's. The skyyyyyy is cryyyyyyin'!!!! Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads...

Dot: Swift Kick never got outside Long Island/Lower NY; and they did do the Time Warp and I loved it. They did a few others, but my memory is a little fuzzy about which ones. Actually, I enjoyed the songs, which is why i went to see Rocky Horror the first time. Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads...

a little Deep Purple before retiring for the evening.... hush, hush, I thought I heard her callin' my name...hush, hush... Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads...

Any of you NYers remember the band Swift Kick out on Long Island? They used to do covers of the Rocky Horror songs...that's when I first became aware of the movie. Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads...

More Background The First Age ended with Melkor/Morgoth being defeated and destroyed. The Valar and Maiar as well as the Vanyar (the mysterious "Fair Elves" that don't really come into the Middle Eath tales) come to kick some butt. The Elves are invited to come back to Valar-land, and most of them do. A group of Noldor (apparently the troublemaker Elves) sets up shop near the future site of Khâzad-Dûm (Moria) and some Teleri Elves stick around as well (Celeborn and also Legolas' dad). The Valar want to help out the Men who fought beside the Elves, so they give them this nifty island halfway bewtween Valar-land and Middle Earth: Numenor. Elros (brother of Elrond), the product of several generations of mixed Man-Elf marriages, becomes first king of Numenor. Meanwhile, with most of the good guys off on their islands, Sauron sets himself up as a supreme evil king, but not before working a deal with the Noldorin Elves to make some nifty rings of power. The elves make three for themselves, but Sauron whips up a bunch for himself, including The One Ring to rule the wearers of the others. He sets up his kingdom but is foiled by the Numenorians who kick his butt and take him back to Numenor as a captive. Sauron convinces the King to challenge the Valar which gets Numenor sunk (Atlantis!). Sauron goes back to Middle Earth to restablish his kingdom. Elendil, a lord of Numenor, escapes with his family and loyal followers and sets up the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. When he is strong enough he attacks and defeats Sauron, but he and his son Anarion are killed in the final battle. His eldest son Isildur takes the ring from Sauron. The heirs of Isildur's brother Anarion rule Gondor, the southern kingdom, but eventually die out. The heirs of Isildur rule Arnor, the northern kingdom. Arnor splits into three mini-kingdoms and finally is destroyed. The heirs if Isildur live on as the Rangers, including Aragorn, aka Strider. Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads...

The last few years I was "in" (I left in Fall 2001) we were encouraged to "get involved" in the community. In fact, this theme, of "getting involved" seemed to resurface every few years. When I was a WOW in 1980-81, my 10th Corps family coordinator was telling someone in the community that he wanted to "get involved". The local asked him what he meant by "get involved", he just stared blankly back at her. --> But, back to the more recent past: the people in our region were encouraged to get out and join groups, teams, etc. What we were not encouraged to do was actually make any friends. All this "getting involved" was for one purpose only: to get more recruits. Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads...

a. Mike has vanished? Actually, I just saw him on one of the "I apologize to Mike" threads, explaining that he wasn't leaving, just not posting. b. Raf gets too cocky whenever anyone else posts? Us Circulation guys liked it when you reporter guys got cocky. It helped us get our bonuses because we sold more newspapers. c. We've pretty much nailed all the 2+2=5 errors? So soon? d. We have lives? I've been out of town :D--> :D--> :D--> :D--> :D--> Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads...

Wait, there are no orange kangaroos in Denmark Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads...

Pick any one digit number Multiply by 9 Add the digits Subtract 5 Pick a letter that corresonds to the resulting number e.g. 1=A, 2=B...25 = Y, 26 = Z Name a country that begins with that letter Note the last letter of the country name, name an animal that starts with that letter Note the last letter of the animal's name, pick a fruit that starts with that letter... Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads... [This message was edited by Oakspear on January 23, 2003 at 20:11.]

This is about book background, not necessarily the movie: The Simarillion sets up the cosmology of Middle Earth, not just the background and in-fighting of the elves. It indicates an omnipotent god - Eru Iluvatar: The One, who creates the heavens and the earth. The One then creates the Ainar, kind of like angels, who he teaches some kind of heavenly music which is basically his word made into reality. Of these Ainar/angels, he appoints fifteen (I think) as sort of archangels; the Valar. For most of the rest of The Silmarillion Eru/The One is pretty much ignored and the Valar are treated like a pagan pantheon of gods and godesses (Elbereth Gilthoniel, the head godess is mentioned in passing in T2T). One of the Valar, Melkor, who later is called Morgoth, tries to take over Valar-land. Lots of bad stuff happens. The non-Valar Ainar are called Maiar. Among the Maiar are the Istari (Wizards, Sauron, and Balrogs.)Sauron is Morgoth's chief deputy, Balrogs are kind of stupid evil Maiar. Another Maia, Melian, marries the king of the Teleri, Elwe, also called Thingol. Their daughter is Luthien, who marries the Man Beren. They are the great-grandparents of Elrond as well as Elros, the ancestor of Aragorn. Elves and Men are called "The Children of Iluvatar" and are directly created by him. The Dwarves were formed by one of the Valar, Aule the Smith, but given life by Iluvatar. No mention of the Hobbits' origins is in The Silmarillion. Orcs originated with Avari Elves (the branch of Elves who refused to journey into the West and for the most part lived in forests) who were kidnapped by Morgoth and twisted and changed. They shared immortality (unless violently killed) with the elves, and reproduced like any other creature. Oakspear ...goin' down to Rosedale, got my rider by my side...and I'm standin' at the crossroads... [This message was edited by Oakspear on January 13, 2003 at 19:13.]