Now that I’ve used and tested most of Theme Hybrid’s free themes, I see no reason for anyone to ever purchase a “premium theme”. Here are seven reasons you should start using Justin Tadlock’s Theme Hybrid and its free themes.

1. The Themes Are Free

Each and every Theme Hybrid theme is free. I’ve found that all of Justin’s free themes look better and are easier to use than most of the “premium” themes for sale. Theme Hybrid themes are not filled with dozens of preferences, and allow you to get right down to blogging.

2. Outstanding Support

If you ever have trouble with a Hybrid theme, support is available for $29 per year. Justin offers superb support and will guide you through anything related to Theme Hybrid or WordPress. The community forums are also home to many other users who offer their help and support.

3. SEO Friendly

Justin builds each theme with beautifully crafted CSS and HTML. Google will be able to scan your site’s content with ease.

4. Hybrid Hooks

With Theme Hybrid, you don’t have to edit the core theme files very often. There are countless hooks that can be used in your theme’s functions.php file, which makes customizing and perfecting your design easy.

5. You Don’t Need Many Plugins

Features that once required plugins are built right into Theme Hybrid. Breadcrumbs, drop-down menus, pagination, thumbnails, theme layouts, and post templates are cooked right into the framework.

6. There’s a Theme for Every Kind of Website

No matter what kind of blog or website you are going to create, there is a Theme Hybrid theme that will meet your needs.

Are you a photographer? Try Picturesque. Need a magazine theme? Try Sukelius Magazine. News site? News! Need a design with a slider? Try Path. Need a theme that pops? Retro-fitted. Do you want a base theme that’s fairly clean? Go with Hybrid or Prototype.

7. Tutorials and Documentation

A lot of the customization that can be done with the theme is thoroughly explained in the website’s excellent documentation.

Be sure to check our Justin’s website for awesome WordPress tutorials and all of the themes at Theme Hybrid.

The post 7 Reasons Why You Should Use Justin Tadlock’s Theme Hybrid appeared first on Jordan Tuwiner.

Recently, Towson’s Hillel brought in Yariv Mozer to play and discuss his film The Invisible Men. Here is a brief summary of the movie:

The Invisible Men, a powerful, emotionally affecting documentary directed by Israeli filmmaker Yariv Mozer, focuses on three men experiencing the struggle of being gay Arabs. Louie, Abdu, and Fares are leading secret lives hiding from police in Tel Aviv, and they become connected through a man who helps them seek the asylum of outside countries. Louie and Fares have unsympathetic families who turned them into the police when they found out about their sexual orientation, and intend to murder them.

After the completion of the film, Mozer opened the door for questions. I asked him what kind of feedback he generally receives for the film. Mozer explained that some say the film glorifies Israel as better or more liberal. I wondered how someone might think that.

The movie is remarkable because it creatively and uniquely illustrates an unknown side of the complex Arab-Israeli conflict. The movie’s purpose is not to frame Israel as more liberal. The Invisible Men presents facts. Palestinian men are frequently forced from their homes with nowhere to go. Fact. The freedom and safety of these men in new countries would have been impossible without Israel’s help. Fact. There is simply no other way to illustrate the story.

The second question I asked Mozer was whether Louie and Abdu were pro-Palestine or pro-Israel. He said Louie, who lived in Tel Aviv for over 10-years and feels a strong connection to the city, is pro-Israel. Abdu is pro-Palestine.

I do not believe every Palestinian would become pro-Israel if they made home in Tel Aviv for 10 years. However, I found it surprising and extraordinary to see the effect Israel had on a Palestinian who immersed himself into Israeli culture and interacted with Israelis on a daily basis.

There is more I would like to discuss about The Invisible Men, but do not wish to turn this into a political debate. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and recommend The Invisible Men to anyone in search of a unique perspective on the conflict.

The Invisible Men Trailer

The post Thoughts on Yariv Mozer’s The Invisible Men appeared first on Jordan Tuwiner.

Installation

First and foremost, installing the invisibleSHIELD for the iPhone 5 is a breeze. I had lots of experience installing screen protectors, but had yet to handle one that involved wetting the shield with a provided spray.

Placing the film on top of the wet screen and squeegeeing out the extra liquid was pretty simple. I was able to install the shield without an air bubble. Assuming you follow the install directions carefully, there should be no problems during the installation process. ZAGG recommends that you leave your device off for 12-24 hours after installation.

Overview

For me, there are two important factors when purchasing a screen protector:

1. How well can the screen be viewed in sunlight.
2. How much does the feel of the film resemble the actual screen

ZAGG’s invisibleSHIELD for the iPhone 5 does both extremely well.

I use my phone often when walking to and from class, and have little trouble reading from the screen in sunlight. I am able to both read and view images very clearly even with the screen protector present, which is something many previous protectors I owned did not allow. All of this can be done easily even if the brightness is fairly low.

The feel of ZAGG’s invisibleSHIELD for the iPhone 5 somewhat resembles the actual screen of an iPhone. ZAGG’s film feels slightly less glass like, yet still delivers a uniquely smooth touch. Some screen protectors add a texture of their own, which is often grainy, but ZAGG’s invisibleSHIELD offers one continuous, gentle feel throughout the film.

ZAGG’s invisibleSHIELD for the iPhone 5 successfully satisfies the two most important areas for me when it comes to screen protectors. On top of that, it does not get scratched very easily and is pretty thin.

Final Thoughts

ZAGG’s screen protectors generally cost slightly more than the average protector. However, I have found ZAGG’s products provide the best durability, usability, and are crystal clear. I often forget that the shield is embedded onto my phone.

If you are interested in purchasing the invisibleSHIELD for the iPhone 5, you can head over to ZAGG’s official website.

The post ZAGG iPhone 5 Screen Protector Review appeared first on Jordan Tuwiner.

For those who do not know, I attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. At CESJDS, seniors graduate in early-February and in late-February embark on a three month journey, which includes a week in Poland, two days in Prague, and, most importantly, two and a half months in Israel.

How I feel when I’m in Israel.

I entered the trip with no expectations. Students from previous classes always said this trip was life changing, but I never thought much of that. Before my visit, I felt no connection to Judaism or Israel. I had no idea how much that would change.

GADNA

Gadna is a program in which some Israelis go through in order to prepare themselves for their required army service. However, it’s also open to groups like mine that are learning about the military (or Israeli Defense Force).

Me and some friends in our army attire (I’m on the left).

I lived the life of an Israeli Defense Force soldier for four days. I wore a uniform, shot an M-16, and slept in a tent. The whole GADNA experience helps open your eyes towards how things work in America. I believe we often take it for granted that are not required to go to the army. The Israeli teenagers, even those who do not want to spend time in the army, take great pride protecting and serving their country. I was there for the Israeli memorial day and, honestly, felt more connected than I do for Memorial Day in America.

Me shooting an M-16.

Tel Aviv

Me and two good friends spent our entire ten-day spring break in the heart of Tel Aviv with a gorgeous view of the coast line. Independence is something I enjoy, and these ten-days were the first of my life where I was really without any guidance. It was just me and two friends in the middle of an enormous city.

The view from the roof of my hotel in Tel Aviv.

It was in Tel Aviv where I realized that my time in Israel was the last point in my life where I would really have no responsibilities. Life as a kid is awesome, and for some reason this kind of all hit me while in Tel Aviv. I realized I soon would be in college where work and class would almost dictate my life. I made the most of my time there.

Cities are so inspiring for some reason. I can’t put a finger on why.

Tzfat

I lived in the magical city of Tzfat for three weeks. Most of my time was spent in a kindergarten where I interacted and played with around 20 kids for hours each day.

My Hebrew was generally good enough to make my way through Israel. However, speaking Hebrew with 3-5 year olds in a kindergarten can be a bit tough for someone with my level of Hebrew. Kids speak fast, move fast, do not explain much, and are not patient. Despite this, I made a very large impact on all of these kids, which is something absolutely remarkable to me. Even with the language barrier, most of the kids cried when they knew it was my last day.

Me with all of the kids in the kindergarten.

After leaving the kindergarten each day I’d drop by the best falfel place in Tzfat, grab an iced coffee (sometimes two), and then play cards and relax with friends.

Tzfat is a city in the mountains with gorgeous views and fresh air. There’s just something spiritual about the entire city. Most of the people who live in Tzfat study a lot of Kabbalah, which is a more philosophic and real-life way of thinking about Judaism. Studying Kabbalah was the first time I had ever felt some connection towards religion. I have always been more of a visual learner, anyway.

A group called Agadeta is famous around Tzfat. I was fortunate enough to see them live and their music is certainly meditative and spiritual. Here’s some background on Agadeta:

This band is made up of musicians and composers from Tzfat who play several styles of music. They play on a variety of unique instruments, like the Pantam drum, Santur, sitar and more. This is ethnic Jewish music at its best, which combines texts and motifs from early Kabbalistic literature. The performance is a truly unique experience, rhythmic and stirring, and is often held in the hills, forests and fields that surround Tzfat.

Here’s a video of Agadeta playing:

Yam el Yam

“Yam el Yam” means Sea to Sea. My grade made a four day, three night trek from one side of Israel to the other — from the Mediterranean Sean to the Sea of Galilee.

I loved Yam el Yam because I did not bring or use any electronic devices, which I usually have a tough time breaking away from. I felt a connection with nature that was absolutely primal. Jumping into 45 degree natural springs of water after hours of walking through the heat made for some of the best moments of the hike. I had also never camped out before, so sleeping in a tent for three nights in a row was absolutely awesome.

Me with my three-liter camel back during Yam el Yam.

There is really nothing more natural than sleeping out under the moon and stars. If only we had done some fishing and hunting and supplied our meals that way…

Eilat

Drive for two hours through the Negev and you won’t see all that much until you hit Eilat, a city in the desert located on the Red Sea. Eilat isn’t really in the middle of nowhere, but there is simply something special about a booming city in a desert.

Trying to get a picture with Jordan in Eilat.

We snorkeled in the most northern coral reef in the world. We skipped rocks in the Red Sea. We hiked to a spot where Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia were all visible. Eilat was a blast and obviously a unique experience.

Summary

I have accepted that I will never have an experience close to the one I greatly enjoyed with my entire high school graduating class.

There is just something about Israel — maybe it’s the land, the food, the people, I don’t know — that makes me want to live there. All I know is that I will be back at some point very, very soon. Maybe for good.

I obviously could not recap an entire three-month trip into this post. If you have any additional questions about my journey, feel free to drop them in the comments.

The post Recapping My Three Month Trip To Israel: A Life Changing Journey appeared first on Jordan Tuwiner.

I’ve had this domain registered for quite some time, but never had the time or drive to do something with it.

Most of you are reading this because you’re familiar with my work at Orioles Nation, and simply know me as Jordan or Jordan Tuwiner. However, few of you know anything about me beyond my name. That’s about to change.

Creating and maintaining a credible sports blog or website these days is very hard to do. It’s easy to get a blog set up, but building it up into a resource that people trust is a tough task.

I founded OriolesProspects.com (what is now Orioles Nation) back in 2009. At the time I was 14 years old.

What started as a place for me to share my thoughts on the Orioles began to slowly develop into a trusted Baltimore Orioles resource.

I had always felt that if people discovered my age, perhaps my audience would fade and people would put less trust and time into following my work.

So for years I continued writing as Jordan, revealing nothing more.

For so long I felt that I wanted people to know who was behind the site, but wasn’t confident enough to share more about myself. I still worried about how people would perceive Orioles Nation if they knew a high school student was behind the site.

Through all of this, I eventually realized that Orioles Nation had become something that allowed me to interview Zach Britton, and many other minor league players. It became something that earned me press passes to the Orioles minor league affiliates. It became something that thousands of people per day came to read.

No longer did I feel like I had anything to hide, but more that I had something to show. That, in fact my age meant nothing to my readers, rather the quality of my work was what mattered.

This hit me in February 2012, shortly before I was about to set off on a journey to Israel, Poland, and the Czech Republic for three months (I’ll be writing more about this later). I promised myself that as soon as I returned, I was going to share with my audience who I really am.

Here I am in May, just beginning my summer break before I head off to Towson in the Fall.

With this personal site, I hope to write about topics that have less to do with the Orioles and to write more about ‘life’ — things like Apple, reviews, food, my travels, school, coding, and maybe even some photography.

I’m not exactly sure how often I’ll post, but whatever it ends up being it’ll be more of a glimpse into what I’m thinking and more about my personal life.

If for some reason you’d like to read a little more about me, check out the About page. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments.

The post Welcome to My Personal Site appeared first on Jordan Tuwiner.