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Derek Beres's blog

In the Land of Giants

Derek Beres
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For seven years I loved and neglected my 1986 Chrysler Laser, and never once did he/she/it give up on me. When did it became normal for Americans to buy a new car every two to three years?  (more)

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The Resurrection Before Jesus

Derek Beres
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Why did it take a recently discovered stone tablet for scholars to recognize that the resurrection myth is about society, not a particular person? (more)

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Sound Against Flame: The Process of Yoga and Atheism in America

Derek Beres
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Yoga has been used to describe everything from the physical asana practice to bread, tea, clothing, and spa services. While there are many ways to dissect and explore this aged philosophical system, we will focus on the yoga of knowledge -- otherwise known as the art of discrimination. Atheism is, believe it or not, rooted in a similar soil. (more)

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Buy Organic, Buy Local, Buyer Beware

Derek Beres
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We pay more for sustainably produced items. But we need to be sure that their quality is superior to the conventional goods. (more)

High on Mount Sinai

Derek Beres
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Hebrew University professor Benny Shanon argues that Moses was tripping on some serious drink when he declared the Torah. (more)

Stay Grounded in This World

Derek Beres
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The lessons we learn on the yoga mat are of no use if they stay inside the studio. Yet some in the yoga community use scriptures as a call to arms in a righteous battle where a side (theirs) wields an alchemical formula for goodness, and all else is misguided. (more)

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Somewhere Inside the Rainbow

Derek Beres
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This year, Radiohead showed us that digital sales empower artists. They also forced the question: Why are we so concerned with the fiscal status of superstars? (more)

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Where's Tony Joe White when You Need Him?

Derek Beres
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During the recent drought, Georgia governor Sonny Perdue held a public vigil to pray for rain. When exactly did sympathetic magic return to vogue for pseudo-religious American politicians? (more)

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That Music You Like—What Brand is That?

Derek Beres
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Is music "the religion of humanity," or is it just another commodity? And what happens when the situation is so indistinguishable from its shadow that separating the sincerity from the sale becomes impossible? (more)

  • 11-7-07
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Digital Archeology and New Mythologies

Derek Beres
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Long before the music-as-commerce mindset came to dominate our perception of sound, the ceremonial rituals of voice and instruments were a sort of cosmic salve between humans and communities. Today these sounds are being dropped into laptops and recreated anew for the modern temple: dance clubs. The computer is the first world folk instrument. (more)

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