Mishkan T'filah is a worthy successor to previous prayer books (siddurim) used by the Progressive Jewish community. I just think that those who compiled it lost a superb opportunity to abbreviate the services (or at least the material making up each service). Instead, the opposite appears to have happened, with material which was absent from previous siddurim now having made a comeback.



Anyone who thinks deeply about the role of Judaism (or any form of religion, for that matter) in modern life would realise that the length of our services is a real issue. Services are, quite simply, too long and High Holy Day services are excessively so.



While I’m starting to understand the logic of the internal structure of services, to the outsider the material must appear quite repetitious.



Let’s hope we won’t have to wait until the next siddur is published before this issue is confronted!



The New Reform Prayerbook - Mishkan T'filah - URJ

http://urj.org/worship/mishkan/ http://amplify.com/u/a1dyad

While the conspiracy theories around the NASA moon landings are unconvincing, I’ve often wondered why “we” never went back. The last manned moon landing was 1972, while the last unmanned mission was 1976, i.e. almost 40 years ago! As a youngster poring over accounts of the moon landings in newspapers and magazines (hey, we never had TV in SA in those days!), I would have expected the next step to be a manned space station on the moon, not an almost total end to any lunar exploration! http://amplify.com/u/a1dc66

#ConstantContact, just in case you haven’t noticed, you’ve completely broken #NutshellMail with your latest round of "upgrades". Just thought you’d want to know… Or not… http://amplify.com/u/a1d2tq

We are constantly reminded that a single one of current digital devices has more computing power than was available to:

- Break the Enigma Code

- Land Apollo 11 on the moon

- Etc.

That may well be, but they weren’t trying to run Windows as well as doing their jobs! http://amplify.com/u/a1cuvk

I can understand the usual discrimination against (or suspicion of) darker people with strange customs and habits, who speak grating languages in ludicrous accents. The one type of discrimination that I simply can’t get my mind around is discrimination against women, girls, females, the fairer sex.

Come on guys, get real! We’re talking about 50% of the human race here. Our mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, girlfriends and mistresses. Those we share our beds with, who raise our children. Caregivers and life partners.

Why on earth would you discriminate against those closest to you?! http://amplify.com/u/a1cklw

I think we all hate feeling ripped off, even if it’s only a couple of bucks. Ran into Hyde Park Corner, bought two pairs of school denims for my daughter, then straight back out again. According to the parking ticket, the time in was 16.07 and the time out 16.31, whereas the time out was actually only 16.17 (MTN network time)! I was charged R7, even although I was in the centre for under 15 minutes (supposedly free).



p.s. The only reason I ever go there is because my daughter’s school outfitters are there. http://amplify.com/u/a1cjg8

Backing up using the built-in Windows XP Backup with default settings. Why, oh why would we need our Temporary Internet Files backed up!? http://amplify.com/u/a1cgtq