Learning to give and not just receive; B’nai mitzvah honor coming of age with community service initiatives

Cell phones, blankets and companionship. For three students, these donations have made them a greater part of the community and helped to increase their understandings of the meaning of their b’nai mitzvah.

Abigail Kerbel, who started a cell phone collection for the Montgomery County Sheriff Department to give to battered women for emergency use, explains how she picked her project based on the theme she was focusing on for her bat mitzvah. ...more

To laugh or not to laugh: the ‘Series 7’ question; Series 7 poignantly satirizes reality shows, public’s voyeurism
A few years ago, The Blair Witch Project terrified audiences and grossed millions of dollars with a blend of terrifying imagination and reality, in which the line between the two is blurred.

Although Series 7: The Contender has yet to show itself a financial success, it works on much the same level as The Blair Witch Project does, feeding off of the growing obsession with reality- based television shows like Survivor and The Real World and asking the question: how far can and will the line between entertainment and reality be pushed?

Mejia works to maintain school, dreams

A large pile of yellow slips and a barrage of phone messages detailing his tasks for the day await Oscar Mejia when he arrives at his office at eight a.m. on a weekday morning. While this is the start of a new workday for him, it is also a step towards fulfilling his dream.

Mejia was born in El Salvador in 1960, the son of a plantation foreman and a housewife. After receiving a preliminary and high school education he became a worker in a glass factory rather than continue on to the university.