Am Kshe Oref - A Stiff-Necked People

The Big News...

2010-08-13T15:16:00.003-04:00

Ok, here it is! I just purchased a local kosher bakery! Thank God, and with God's help, all the pieces fell into place this week and my boss, the previous owner, was an incredible help in making this happen. So, now I get to work VERY hard and feed people!

So there you have it!

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Big News Coming...

2010-08-08T20:26:00.001-04:00

I'm about to have some big news. It'll come in the next couple of days. Can't wait to share! :)

Renewal of Sorts

2010-04-23T14:06:00.002-04:00

I know I've blogging on a very irregular basis. It's been an interesting time for me. I think I'm finally starting to settle into who I am as a Jew. As I've stated before, I don't like to be niched. But at this point, I think the best way to describe me is as a Religious Zionist in Galut.

I have developed a deep desire to return home, to Eretz Yisrael. I lived there as a I child. My family (parents and myself) left just before I turned 14 (which is good because that would make me a Katin Chozer, eligible for Aliyah rights... I think). When we left, it was with the understanding we'd be returning once I finished high school in the US, since, growing up as a Lubavitcher, it was unthinkable to go to a Mamlachti Dati school and receive a secular education alongside the religious one.

Unfortunately, returning home kind of got forgotten. But over the last year or so, that desire has reawakened with in me. I know living in Israel is difficult, at best, especially for someone who is not of means (um, like me!) :). However, it IS possible. I am finally developing skills as a baker at the local kosher bakery here. My boss is actually taking his family to Israel for a year for a test run (if it works out, he'll stay). Since he's been unable to sell the business, he's leaving me pretty much in charge of production. In other words, I'm currently doing about 90%-95% of the baking. I'll be doing 100% of it before long.

I plan to continue to develop these skills for at least another year+. At that point, I'll be an experienced baker, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find a job in Israel baking, which would be a thrill for me. Another option would be translating, though I'm not sure what the market is there for that industry. I spent three years translating for the Shoah Foundation in LA and great references who are more than ready to give me glowing recommendations.

My desire to return home is not just a pipe dream. I am actually becoming frightened of living in Chutz La'Aretz at this point. I don't think things are moving in a positive directions for us as Jews.

My wife and I have begun, tentatively, discussing the prospect of Aliyah. There are a few of things holding her back. First, of course, is parnassah. But I think, once I've fine-tuned my baking skills on a mass level, we'll be OK there. There are plenty of bakeries and bake shops there, so I don't think finding a job will be difficult for me. And I'm hoping once we're there and I'm working, my wife might find the opportunity to return to school (for which Nefesh b'Nefesh pays through a Master's degree) and get a Master's in something useful.

Another concern, more for her than for me since I'm fluent in the language, is being uncomfortable around non-English speakers. Again, if we live in a town with a sizable American population, I don't think it'll be much of a problem. Nefesh b'Nefesh is currently running its Go North program, in which they are actually giving monetary incentive (more than normal Aliyah incentives) to people willing to settle in and develop the Galil, which more Americans are moving there now. And yes, since living in or near Yerushalayim is not an option (first, there's the cost; second, I think the friction with the crazy chareidim would drive me nuts), my second choice is the Galil. There are also Anglo neighborhoods in other areas, such as Neve Aliza in Karnei Shomron. Options to keep open.

A third concern is education for the kids. We need to live in a place where the schools are good. Not mediocre. Good. But I'm pretty sure that, staying away from Chareidi schools (of the types I was forced to attend), the kids will do well in Mamlachti Dati schools. And they're free. :)

A final real concern: My wife's parents. They are aging, and not well. Living where currently live, about 2000 miles away from them in a climate not suitable for them in the winter is already very difficult for them. Us living in Israel would weigh terribly on them, since they would not be able to see the children very often, if at all. What's ironic is they insist they MUST live in LA because of the weather. The irony? Much of Israel has a nearly identical climate to LA. Their best friends on the planet live in Haifa, which is just south of and easily accessible from the Galil. But, at this time, they wouldn't even consider the option, despite the fact that with their combined pensions, Social Security, and investments, they could live quite well there. For this concern, I guess we'll just have to see how things play out.

In any case, here's to hoping we can take this step sometime in the next year or two, maybe three.

Matzas Mitzvah...

2010-03-28T21:11:00.002-04:00

Today I had the amazing and very rare (at least for me) opportunity to not only participate in the making of matza mitzvah, but in getting to take quite a bit of it home with me. My chavrusa this morning told me a certain other rabbi who teaches at the school was going to be baking not only shmura matza, but SOFT, pita-like shmura matza, the type the Teimanim eat, the type that quite likely was what the Jews ate coming out of Egypt and through much of history (as we know, the constipatory cracker was Ashkenazim are forced to ingest on a yearly basis is simply NOT what the Jews ate in the Beit HaMikdash as the Matza then was a wrap, like Laffa bread).

The experience was amazing and very spiritual. I had a fantastic time, I got to shmooze about many topics with the rabbi, including getting some real chizuk about Yiddishkeit, and best of all, I get, for the first time in my life this year for the Sedarim, to eat Matzas Mitzvah. I can't wait. What a Pesach. I'm really very excited, for the first time in a long time, to go into Pesach this year. Thanks to my chavrusa for sending me to this experience, and to Rabbi U. for making it so special.

DovBear: My approach to Kitniyot

2010-03-26T08:12:00.000-04:00

Interesting, but, IMHO very wrong, blog post by a guest blogger on DovBear's blog: My approach to Kitniyot. I commented there, and copied that comment here:

RbbC, the reason I do not agree with your opinion is all these chumrot and minhagim were invented because at the time of their invention they were relevant. It's all a question of relevancy. The chumrah of kitniyot became relevant in medieval Europe because of how they grew and stored crops. Interestingly, it was not a relevancy in Spain or the Middle East. Just the regions of Europe east of Spain. Had there been no relevancy to this chumrah, it never would have been invented. Or, had the relevancy gone away during that same generation or one or two that followed, the rabbis simply would have rescinded it. In fact, Reb Yaakov Emden and the Chacham Tzvi objected strenuously to this chumrah (see here an article about it posted on my blog with a link to the original article).

Take another silly chumrah: Second day of yom tov shel Galuyot. It's just stupid, but because of "minhag Avoteinu b'yadeinu," we keep it. Why? It's simply no longer relevant. It wasn't 1500 years ago when Hillel HaKatan set the calendar. Further, had they had better modes of communication back in the days of the Second Bet HaMikdash (even something as simple as a telegraph), the idea would never have been invented. I don't think, and have never thought, that keeping idiotic chumrot and Minhagim are honoring our ancestors, who I'm sure would gladly have not kept them if they had that option. Their lives would have been much easier. In fact, I think quite the opposite. I think if we DIDN'T have to keep these chumrot any longer, THAT would be honoring our ancestors, who I'm quite sure would be happy to know we don't have to live under the idiocies under which they lived from necessity. In fact, I'm pretty sure they'd be horrified to learn we still have chumrot that are completely irrelevant to our lives today.

And yes. I do hold by second day of Yom Tov (I live in the States) simply because if I didn't, I wouldn't be considered a frum Jew and no one would eat in my house. But most people who know me, including my rav, who is also my chavrusa, know of my objections.
Today, 7:50:06 AM EDT – Reply – Delete

Baking

2010-03-08T11:55:00.003-05:00

So, I've been working at a local bakery for the last (nearly) seven months. I LOVE the work. I enjoy putting the food together, baking it, and seeing a finished product. I love getting compliments from people (friends and passing acquaintances alike).

But it's been rough. I make very little money. It probably wouldn't bother me so much if I was in my 20s and single. But I'm 37. It's been really depressing me lately that I'm 37 years old and making the tiny salary I make. I don't blame my boss. I blame myself, my upbringing, and people who influenced me in a bad way to make very bad decisions.

The other problem is, my boss is very controlling. He tries to control pretty much everything that goes on at the bakery, not really giving me the chance to prove I can handle the job. When I'm about to something, he doesn't even give me the chance to do it and jumps on telling me to do it, thereby not even letting me prove to him I can do it without being told. When cutting pastries, I can NEVER seem to get the sizes right. They're always either too big or too small, too thin or too thick.

In theory, I was hired to take over management of the back of the store (the prep, the baking, and learning, and least in a rudimentary way, how to cake decorate - and boy, do I SUCK at that!). The problem is, he can't let go and let me do the work. Another problem I've been having is the constant, non-stop criticism. It's just never ending, no matter how hard I work, how fast, or much I try. And compliments are extremely rare. To be fair, he did reward me after Purim with a nice bonus and a card saying he values working with me. But the words and most of the actions don't match that. And then there's the constant, vigilant watching, waiting, it seems, to catch me making a mistake. The problem is, the more he does that, the more I know he's doing that, and I get nervous and DO make mistakes. And his dad, who works there too, at least in the mornings, loves to to jump on the criticizing me bandwagon, which drives me even battier. And then they want to know why I'm in a bad mood.

And to top all that off, I've been told by others there to dream on if I think I'll ever get a raise. So, what? I'm supposed to run all the production, work my ass off, and make all of $10 an hour?! That's just insane. But, I just don't have a choice. This is the only job available to me here utilizing my skill set. I can't get a job at a non-kosher bakery. First, I can't bake non-kosher food. Second, I'd likely be expected to work on Shabbos. Those are two pretty good reasons. I'm non-union, so I couldn't even get a job at the other local kosher bakery. Not that I would want to work for the guy. He's a real crook, and ass, and just plain mean. I have a friend who worked there last year. Came Purim, and he let her go home for the Seudah for 30 minutes. Wasn't that generous of him? So yeah, I wouldn't work for the guy even if I could.

So, to recap. I'm stuck in a low-paying (not likely to go up), job where I'm made to feel incompetent. And then people want to know why I'm depressed.

The other thing that's been on my mind lately is Israel. I have not been there in 19 years. That's an awful long time. I miss it terribly. I think about it all the time. I know it's not easy to live there. I used the live there myself and I'm aware of the difficulties. My wife, at this point, has no desire to move there. Aside from the difference in culture, her parents live here and would never consider moving to Israel, which is a shame, because with their savings and what they get from social security, they'd live quite well there. The problem is, what would my wife and I do? As I've stated before, I will absolutely NOT make the mistakes my father made and just pick up and go. That did not work out well for him, for my mom, my sister, or myself. It completely screwed up my education, and it is the root cause of why I'm in the financial situation I'm in today. All the moving around, especially between countries, really screwed me up. Badly.

I have a useless BA in English. No tech skills or education. No money to get either. No money to further our educations (my wife's and mine), neither here nor in Israel. And, as I mentioned earlier, my wife simply won't consider it, at least as long as her parents live in the good ol' USA.

So, bottom line, I've been very depressed (and no, I don't want to take Prozac, the "life's really crappy, but I don't give a damn because I'm on Prozac" drug).

Oh, well. I guess I just gotta trudge on, no matter how hard it is to do so.

Nishmat in the News

2010-01-22T11:48:00.000-05:00

Fantastic, concise article about Yoatzot Halacha. All those frummie objections are just dumb.

On Blogging

2010-01-05T16:31:00.002-05:00

Well, It's been a while since my last blog post. It's not that I don't have what to say. It's that I'm not sure WHAT to say. There's tons to blog about, but much of it other bloggers have already said ad nauseum. There's Eternal Jew dude Tropper. There's Solomon Dwek. There's the ridiculous kol koreh prohibiting even Chareidi sites (talk about cutting off your nose to spite you face!). There's Rabbi Yosef Blau's absolutely amazing (in a very GOOD way) forum on homosexuality which so many not only in the chareidi world have misinterpreted, but that many in the YU world have misinterpreted as well.

As I've mentioned before, I've divorced myself from the ridiculous Chareidi/Yeshivish/Frummie world. It really and truly just has nothing to do with legitimate Judaism.

I've mentioned the possibility of Aliyah, but that's just not happening anytime in the near or foreseeable future. There are just too many factors keeping us here for now. Top of that list, is not screwing up my kids the my father screwed up his. If I go, it'll be AFTER my kids get the best education I can get them and let THEM make the choice, should my wife at that time agree to go, whether to join us.

Then there's politics. Oy.

So, I'm taking a short break while I try to decide where to go with this blog. I'm not gonna stop, that's for sure. But I do have to figure out my direction. Perhaps I'll do a weekly post on Choshen Mishpat, which I'm currently learning with a wonderful Chavrusa once a week. Maybe something original on the Parsha. Perhaps even something on Navi. I just completed Sefer Shoftim on Chanukah and have started Sefer Shmuel (OK, to be honest, I'm only in the introduction in the Mosad HaRav Kook publication, an introduction that's rather long, but very informative). We'll see.

In other news, work is still going great! I'm learning new things, and have started multi-tasking (not just preparing the doughs, pastries, and breads, but also baking them!). I'm also, and I'm still not quite clear how or why this happened, the Gabbai Sheini at my minyan on Shabbos. I'm loving that too! :)

More soon.

Great Nefesh B'Nefesh Presentation

2009-11-24T15:49:00.002-05:00

Celebrate Chanukah in Israel!!! Ah. If only I could...

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I've just been so busy at the bakery, (which I LOVE!!!) and I'm exhausted when I'm home or dealing with the kids. And I've really been trying to keep my blogging to things I think worth my time at this point. This certainly qualifies!

More later!

Why the UN Truly, and Simply, Sucks.

2009-11-02T11:29:00.002-05:00

The UN has always been known as a very anti-Semitic organization. Here's why:

Even when faced with the truth, they simply don't even care. All they "cared" about here was a supposed lack of decorum. What a lovely group of assholes. Really.

Ick.

Happy...

2009-10-07T16:39:00.002-04:00

It's a pretty new feeling, being happy. I'm working, I love my work, my boss is great, and I have a regular (not large, but regular and dependable nonetheless...) paycheck coming in every two weeks in addition to my wife's salary. It's no longer a struggle to pay all our bills, and when I'm done paying the bankruptcy trustee his $333.33 per month for a year (only ten payments left!), it'll be even easier.

I absolutely LOVE working at the bakery. It's a little over a block from my house, it's kosher, and it's pretty good! And the best part is, I'm happy. It's nice to be happy. It's nice to get paid for work (unlike my other work, brokering medical imaging equipment, which paid nothing unless I closed a deal, which was rare because of this screwed up economy) and to actually be appreciated.

Best of all, it's nice not to have to receive handouts from people. I appreciated it with all my heart. All the people who came through during the tough times truly deserve a huge share of Olam Haba. But it's nice to have need it any longer. It's also nice being able to actually GIVE tzedakah rather than receive it.

All-in-all (yes, that IS a cliche), our situation is thankfully so much better than it was two months ago, and it will, God willing, only get better.

Healthcare

2009-09-17T19:42:00.002-04:00

I don't know. Maybe I'm naive. Or incredibly smart (I like to think the latter...). But wouldn't the best, and easiest way to reform the healthcare system in the United States to simply regulate the health insurance companies/providers?

Basically, just as Wall Street needs regulation, a fact that became painfully obvious last year, after the crash due to nearly complete NON-regulation of the financial industry, so does the healthcare industry. It's time for insurance companies to have deep, strict regulation. That regulation would include complete and utter abolishment of discriminating against people who have "pre-existing" conditions. It includes regulation to prevent insurance companies from revoking insurance people who are already insured and who lose their insurance when they get sick and the insurance companies claim the person lied to get insurance. It includes regulation against charging people who DO have "pre-existing condition" far more than what they charge people "without" "pre-existing conditions." It would include regulating how much insurance companies can charge PERIOD.

Regulation would force insurance companies to expand coverage, without raising the price, to cover medical conditions they currently refuse to cover, or only cover for a much higher price. In my case, the prime example is insurance companies not covering medically supervised weight loss and, in many cases, bariatric surgery (while at the same time they refuse coverage for people who are obese because obesity is a "pre-existing condition").

Healthcare reform would provide for the nearly fifty MILLION Americans who cannot afford health insurance with quality healthcare.

And finally, as a parent whose children are currently on medicaid and whose children have a WAY better plan than my wife and I do, healthcare reform would definitely provide for a buy-in option to government provided healthcare.

Pretty simple, to me, if you simply stop listening to the asshole lobbyists and Republicans.

Exhausted!

2009-09-10T16:45:00.003-04:00

Whew! This job is wonderful, but very exhausting. I've spent next to no time at the computer for the last week or so.

BUT, I wanted to comment on Congressman Wilson, ass that he is. The comment is this: If this had been while Governor Bush was in his stolen position as president, and, say, (name your Democrat) had yelled out to Bush that he was a liar (which, by the way, he WAS!) in the middle of Bush's address to Congress, the Republicans would simply have declared war on the Democrats and marginalized them even more than they had while the Republicans held House (and Senate) majority.

But you know what? A democrat wouldn't have done that. Know why? Because no matter how wrong the president is, you simply DON'T do that.

And this is the problem with the Democrats, or some of them, at least. Stop being so damned liberal that you want to make peace with someone who will happily stab you in the back at the first opportunity. God forgive me for saying this, but it's time for Obama and the Democrats to do what what Bush and his Republican cronies did during the Dark Years (2001-2009): JUST GET IT DONE. Don't worry about marginalizing the Republicans. Don't worry about hurting their feelings. They didn't worry about hurting yours!

Now, pass this healthcare bill already!

My New Job!

2009-08-28T12:35:00.002-04:00

So, I started work yesterday (Thursday, August 27) at 4 AM! I had a break to go daven, but otherwise I there until a bit after 12 PM, on my feet the ENTIRE time. The work was hard, exhausting, and sometimes grueling. But you know what? I LOVED it!!! It was fantastic starting to learn a new skill, one in which I have my own private and rather considerable experience. The owner of the bakery liked my work and told me so. I go back Monday - Thursday next week, mostly for just a few hours a day except next Thursday. After next week, the work, the owner told me, becomes really hard in preparation for the chagim.

I look forward to continue learning this profession and becoming proficient at it. Thank God this is happening!

Thanks to all for your moral support. It's been invaluable.

Darth Vader at the Improv?

2009-08-28T09:28:00.002-04:00

Hilarious! :)

A JOB!!!

2009-08-26T08:39:00.002-04:00

Holy moly! I actually found a job, and it's something I actually WANT to do! I'll be working at a local kosher bakery, training to take over as baker and manager. I'm starting off on a trial period that will last through the chagim. If all goes well, and I sincerely hope it does, I'll be hired full on for a salaried position. The more I take on, the more money I'll make, the better I'll get at it. Later down the line, when we're a bit more financially secure and maybe even have some money set aside, again, if all goes well, God willing, I'll even have the option to buy the bakery because the owner actually wants to sell it.

Oh, boy! It really is a new start. I hope and pray it goes really well.

Electoral-vote.com: Election news

2009-08-20T06:58:00.000-04:00

Electoral-vote.com had a fascinating dissemination on health insurance and whether the insurance model is even the right model for the United States. Take a read. It's very eye-opening.

Interviewing!

2009-08-18T17:00:00.002-04:00

Holy Moly! I have actually started interviewing! What a shock! My first one was today at a local kosher bakery. The owner is looking for someone to learn all the ropes, bake, and manage the bakery as he steps back from the day-to-day operations. He even mentioned the option, later down the road, to buy in to the bakery and own a stake in it!

This is great. Today, he had me come in so he could give me a tour of the facility. I'm supposed to speak with him next week about whether I'm interested. I definitely am. It will start off as an apprenticeship and move on up from there. The starting pay is pretty low, but I'm hoping I can negotiate a better starting pay. Hours will be a bit funky (it IS a bakery, after all!), but I think I can live with that.

I'm also waiting to hear from a local restaurant about a manager's position there. Not as excited about it because it doesn't really offer as much opportunity as the bakery, but the starting pay (which is really important right now) might be better.

The question will be: Will I be able to go to school at least part-time while working a bakery job? Since much of the work is seasonal (it IS a full-time job, but there are times of years that are busier than others), having set hours when I know I can attend classes might be difficult.

In any case, I will continue studying for the GRE exam (started today - wish me luck!). At least, once I take it and hopefully do well and get it out of the way, I'll be able to see how things work out and apply to school when I can.

Once again, this is one of those instances where it's WHO you know, not WHAT you know. My chavruta, a rav in the community, also happens to be the bakery owner's chavruta, and he connected us, knowing the owner was looking to gradually step back (and possibly even sell it at some point, though I'm not too sure about buying a bakery at this point if my ultimate goal is to make Aliyah) and knowing I love baking and would love to work a bakery job, despite the funky hours. My chavruta also knows I desperately need a job.

As for my other work, the "company" my father so lovingly left me, I think that's done. While at first, after his death, I was rather busy and even managed to sell two systems (for a total of $1800 in commissions - woo hoo), it's been deathly quiet of late. I MAY have set up a system installation, which I will probably attend IF this deal goes through and I'll make a whole $1000. Though if I end up taking this job before installation begins, I'll probably just give that up since I won't want to take off a real job to go learn something that may or may not pan out for future training in installing system.

In the meantime, I'm pretty ready to lay my father's business to rest and bury it with him and move on to better, more concrete things. It's just going to be part of the process of fixing our financial mess, straightening ourselves out, and getting on the path of success and maybe even Aliyah at some point.

Oops!

2009-08-17T10:34:00.001-04:00

This is just too funny! Of course you DO see it coming as soon as the empty arrow hits the wall...

Why There Will, And Can, NEVER Be Peace With the Palestinians

2009-08-12T08:07:00.002-04:00

Mitchell Bard published a fact sheet recently discussing why peace with the Palestinians, or at least their rulers, and unfortunately, an entire younger generation brainwashed by those rulers, is pretty much impossible, and that the Obama administration is really quite naive when it comes to these matters. Maybe someone should forward this to the White House.

Fact Sheet

#71: Palestinians Declare Three Noes to Peace
(August 11, 2009)

Echoing the Arab rejection of peace with Israel expressed at Khartoum almost exactly 42 years ago ("no peace with Israel, no negotiations with Israel, no recognition of Israel"), the Palestinians declared at the Fatah conference in Bethlehem in August 2009 three noes: no negotiations with Israel, no recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and no end to the armed struggle against Israel.

The delegates to the conference, the first Fatah has convened in two decades, were competing among themselves to see whose position toward Israel would be more radical. Though deeply divided over who will control the movement, the Palestinians were united in their obduracy toward Israel.

In fact, in addition to the three noes to peace, the Palestinians had more than a dozen other demands, including Israeli acceptance of the "right of return" of Palestinian refugees, the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, the freezing of all settlement construction and the lifting of theGaza blockade. They also vowed to continue the struggle against Israel "until Jerusalem returns to the Palestinians void of settlers and settlements. "

These recalcitrant positions come after Palestinian AuthorityPresident Mahmoud Abbas's previous statements that he will not negotiate with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuand expects President Obama to bring about Netanyahu'sdownfall.

Fatah officials also discussed the possibility of forming a strategic alliance with Iran, the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism, which opposes the peace process and has threatened to destroy Israel. Fatah's Jerusalem Affairs Liaison, Hatim Abdul Qader, said that in light of the stalled peace process, Fatah had no choice but to seek help from Iran and, last month, Palestinian Chief Negotiator, Saeb Erekat, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Egypt. Paradoxically, Iran has funded Fatah's opponents, Hamas, which prevented Palestinians in Gaza from participating in the conference.

The Fatah conference demonstrated once again that the range of Palestinian opinion is not from radicals opposing peace withIsrael to moderates who favor a negotiated settlement, but from radical to even more radical opponents of an end to the conflict.

Sadly, the desire of the Palestinian people to coexist with their Israeli neighbors has once again been sublimated to the irredentist ideology of their fanatical leaders leaving Israel with no partner for negotiations. Roughly half of the population is under the thumb of Hamas, which is at war with Fatah. Meanwhile, Fatah is at war with itself and divided into at least three factions. And none of the men (and they are all men) who claim to represent the people are interested in peace withIsrael.

The Palestinian position, combined with that of the king ofSaudi Arabia and other Arab leaders who rejected President Obama's pleas to take steps toward normalizing relations withIsrael, has driven a stake through the heart of theadministration's entire Middle East strategy. The administration approach was built on the premise that publicly pressuringIsrael would win support from the Arab states, who would then take steps to normalize ties with Israel, which would lead to a peace agreement, which, in turn would result in Arab cooperation on the Iranian nuclear issue and make all of the other problems in the region melt away.

The question now is whether the administration can recalibrate its policy to the reality that negotiating with Abbas is a dead end and that pressuring Israel alienated the Israelis while emboldening the Arabs to believe he would force Israel to capitulate to their demands without them having to do anything in return.

Read all Fact Sheets

Arlen Specter Is A-Pissin' Off Some People! :)

2009-08-11T13:59:00.000-04:00

Arlen Specter faces fury.

Planning...

2009-08-10T18:51:00.002-04:00

So. We've bankrupted. A new beginning, albeit a kind of lousy way to go about it. But we'll survive.

Now we have to figure it all out. I'm looking for a job. My business tanked. Frankly, I never liked it anyway. It was my father's and not something about which I ever truly strongly felt. So, we'll see if any opportunities pan out.

Ideally, I'd like to find something part-time. My wife (who is also looking for a new job because she hates the one she's at right now) has full benefits, so those aren't really an issue for me when job searching. I'm going to study for the GRE exam (that's the one to get into grad school). I'd like to go back to school. I have a few choices in front of me. One is a PhD in counseling psychology. Another, one that is probably more realistic, is a Master's in education. It's something I can use in Israel.

Which brings me to the next step. I'm hoping, once done with school, in whatever subject I choose, to make Aliyah. It's getting to be time. My wife, given a workable, viable, REALISTIC plan, is open to the idea.

While I would like nothing better than to pack up tomorrow and go home, I won't do it. First, there's the history lesson. My dad did it that way. You know what it did? It screwed up my life. Royally. He didn't give one damn where we ended up, whether he had a job waiting, or what the quality of the schools was for his children. I actually ended up in a cheder for two and a half years. No general studies education whatsoever. For that entire time. Imagine how well I did when we came back to the States at the beginning of high school. Yeah. Not so well...

Second, there's a Shalom Bayit issue. I love my wife very much. I am completely devoted to her. Only problem is I haven't acted that way the last several years. That's changing. She will not go without a real plan of where and how we're going to live and we will absolutely go somewhere ONLY that offers the best possible school for our children. And she will not go without at least one of us, preferably both, and most preferably me, without a job waiting. Period. And you know what? She's absolutely correct. I have a friend/fellow blogger who told me the mitzvah of living in Eretz Yisrael is more important than Shalom Bayit. I respectfully disagree. And I speak from experience. It's not just Shalom Bayit between spouses. It's also about Shalom Bayit with one's children and doing what's best for them in the best possible way. My father did it in the worst possible way. The results were, and still are, unacceptable. It's not going to happen that way again.

So there you have it. We'll go, God willing. But we'll go properly this time, not helter-skelter as my father did. I will NOT screw up my children's lives the way he screwed up mine. Period.

Now I just gotta take that GRE exam. Oy. Then I gotta figure out what I want to do. I'll only get one chance at this, and I gotta do it right.

Well, That SUCKED!

2009-08-10T16:56:00.002-04:00

Ok. We had our bankruptcy hearing today. All done. Only bump was that since we own my car outright, it's an asset the trustee wanted to liquidate and give the money to the creditors. However, what he will do is take $4000 out of the equity I have in the car and make me pay it back over the course of a year, at $333.33 per month, no interest, which is actually a pretty good deal, assuming I can afford the $333.33 per month, which I'm hoping I will. It's a gamble, but a good one.

Here's to hoping!

Am I Too Young To Be a Great Uncle?

2009-08-09T09:48:00.003-04:00

Apparently not! My nephew, who is almost 24 years old, just became a daddy! That makes my sister (heh heh heh!) a GRANDMOTHER, and my mother a GREAT-grandmother.

Pretty cool! Mazal Tov to my nephew, his lovely wife (whom I've never met and to whom I've never spoken), my sister (the grandma, heh heh heh!), all my other nieces and nephews, and my mother. I'm pretty sure there will be MANY more to come in the future (after all, my sister is a mother of EIGHT!).

As for me, my oldest (of two, and we're pretty sure it's gonna stay that way!) is only seven years old, so I've got plenty of time until I become a grandparent! :)

Priceless... Star Trek Style

2009-08-03T15:01:00.002-04:00

What could be better than a Star Trek "Priceless" Mastercard commercial? :)

Another MIssed Opportunity for an Absolutely FANTASTIC Show!

2009-08-03T12:51:00.003-04:00

I just finished watching the shortened season of NBC's Kings. Placed in a modern day setting, it is essentially the story of a young David and an older King Shaul, called Sylas in the show. Ian McShane plays David, and does so wonderfully. While using many basic plot elements from Tana"ch, the show is original, and really quite wonderful.

Unfortunately, Philistines that so many people are, not many tuned in to watch the show, and it died before it could gain much of a foothold. It's really too bad, because this was a really fantastic series.

All thirteen episodes are available on Hulu for free.

Maybe the Sci Fi Channel (sorry, Syfy) will pick it up. If they don't, it'll be a real missed opportunity. Kind of like Firefly, which I also watched recently and really enjoyed.

Tenth Anniversary - Nope. Not Wedding. That'll Be Eighth. Next Month.

2009-07-29T21:00:00.002-04:00

Well, I just realized today, Erev Tish'a B'Av, was the tenth anniversary of the greatest mistake of my life, probably the one that caused me to be, ultimately, turned off to so much about Yiddishkeit and certainly the one that led us to all the financial troubles we've had, which, in turn, eventually led to us having to declare bankruptcy.

Yep. It's the tenth anniversary of my getting accepted to yeshiva (Chofetz Chaim, by the way), and actually deciding to go. What a stupid, stupid, STUPID mistake. Instead of taking those three years and doing something useful with them, like continuing my interrupted education (I had gotten my BA, but nothing further) and getting a graduate degree in something useful that would have served me as a career for a long, long time, I decided instead to waste those years and go wallow in some yeshiva.

What a waste. What a waste. What a stupid, stupid waste.

Yes. I have regrets.

Well, I guess it just adds to the mourning, which is, after all, the theme of the day - mourning what we lost and mourning lost opportunities...

From Not Always Right - Great Site About How Often the Customer Is Simply NOT Always Right...

2009-07-29T19:04:00.000-04:00

Great story from the recent Comic-Con in San Diego:

I Find Your Lack Of T-shirts Disturbing
RETAIL | SAN DIEGO, CA, USA
(Note: I’m selling t-shirts at Comic Con in San Diego. Two men are dressed as Star Wars characters come to my booth.)

Jedi #1: “Man, these shirts are all great. I don’t know how I’ll pick.”

Coworker: “Well, they are two for $35, so you can get any two you like.”

Jedi #2: “Is there any deal for three?”

Coworker: “Nope, just by twos.”

(Suddenly, the second Jedi activates his light-up light saber and speaks in an angry, menacing tone.)

Jedi #2: “How about now?!”

Not Always Right

Lack of Emunah! Caught Red-Handed!

2009-07-29T13:38:00.003-04:00

So, the rabbi of the Young Israel I attend gave his usual between Mincha=Maariv drash last night. The topic, of course, was Hilchos Tish'a B'Av. He ended with a rather, I thought, peculiar bracha: May we merit this be the last Tish'a B'Av we fast and mourn, and may the next one be a day of joy and happiness and redemption, etc, etc, etc.

Except for one problem. This was last night, about twenty-four hours BEFORE the fast begins. What did he mean THIS Tish'a B'Av should be the last one? Does he lack the Emunah in of the Thirteen Principles of Judaism? The one that goes like this: "Ani Maamin b'emunah shleima b'vias hamoshiach, v'al af pi sh'yismahameha, im kol ze acheke lo B'CHOL YOM SHEYAVO?" - "I believe with complete fatih in the coming of the Messiah, and although he may delay, I anticipate EVERY DAY that he will come."

Well, if we anticipate Mashiach's arrival EVERY SINGLE DAY, what kind of message was the rabbi trying to convey? That he does not, perhaps subconsciously at least, truly believe Mashiach could arrive ANY DAY, even today, or even tomorrow, on Tish'a B'Av itself (after all, what more appropriate day IS there for Mashiach's arrival than Tish'a B'Av?)? Does it mean the rabbi has some deficiency in his own belief? I certainly hope not. He's a really great guy whom I really admire. I'll have to mention it to him when next I see him...

Now, then. May we merit THIS Tish'a B'av be a day of joy, happiness, celebration, and, most of all, complete Geualah.

OUCH!!!

2009-07-29T13:00:00.001-04:00

Solomon Dwek disowned by father...

Oof. That's GOTTA sting! Apparently, according to the article, Rabbi Yisrael Dwek, the moser's father, has publicly disowned his son on Shabbos:

A lot of people might like to wring his neck, but the sleazy real-estate mogul who ratted out everyone from politicians to rabbis in a massive corruption case is apparently already as good as dead to his father.

Israel Dwek -- the father of Solomon "Shlomo" Dwek, who helped the feds nail three New Jersey mayors and several rabbis in Brooklyn last week -- plans to sit shiva for his son because he is so disgusted with his turning on other Jews, reported the Web site PolitickerNJ.com.

Shiva is the traditional Jewish mourning period held after a family member dies.

The father -- citing "the Talmudic Law of Moser that prohibits a Jew from informing on another Jew to a non-Jew" -- renounced his son from the pulpit at his synagogue in Deal, NJ, on Saturday, the site said.

Israel Dwek is a revered leader of the Sephardic Jewish community in the wealthy enclave.

Way to go, Rabbi Dwek.

Oh. And Ha'Makom Yenacham Otcha B'Toch Sh'ar Aveilei Tzion V'Yerushalayim. May you and your know only good things from now on and may you and your family be comforted among the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim.

UPDATE: According to a reader, this story is not true. According to VIN who researched the story, he denounced moserim from the pulpit but no more than that.

Obama and Israel

2009-07-29T10:36:00.003-04:00

A few people have recently asked me whether Obama's stance on Israel, as well as that of his administration, concern me, upset me, or make change my mind about supporting him.

Here's my answer: Do I like that Obama is trying to set policy for Israel within Israel? Absolutely not. I hate it. I vehemently disagree with him and his policies. Based on all very objective, very empirical evidence from the Palestinian Authority, there will never be peace between them and Israel. They've stated it explicitly time and again, most recently saying quite clearly that their objective is STILL the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state. I do not think Obama and his administration are being intellectually honest here. And I NEVER said I would be likely to agree with Obama about Israel. In fact, I said quite the opposite. Remember, when it comes to Israel politics, I'm VERY right wing.

But we have to remember this: Clinton was a lot of talk. It was George W. Bush, twice illegal president of the United States, who drafted (well, his people did, anyway) the "Road Map to Peace" that was to be the guidelines Israel and the Arabs were to follow toward an ultimate and lasting peace between Israel and the PA. Israel did its best to live up to its obligations. The terrorists did not. But BUSH was the first to put in writing that Israel give up land it had rightfully conquered AFTER BEING ATTACKED in the Six Day War. Bush. Not Obama. Bush. Israel's "best friend ever." The Obama administration is simply following, more aggressively, Bush's policies, which, though I think following ANY Bush administration policies is bad, is worse in this case, as Obama really has no right to follow those policies and make demands on Israel when the Palestinians are not, in ANY way, living up to their end of the "Roadmap."

So, do I like what Obama and his administration are doing? Hell, no. But I did not vote for Obama based on what his policies would be toward Israel. Israel, with God's help, will take care of herself. Notice, Netanyahu became PM just as Obama became president - the perfect counter-balances to each other.

However, no. I have NO regrets about voting for and supporting Obama. I voted for Obama based on who I thought would be the best president for the United States, not for Israel. McCain could NEVER have achieved anything. He was a pushover, and his campaign proved it. And Palin would have screwed up this country even more than it was already screwed up. I think, given time (remember, Obama's only been in office seven months), the economy will recover under Obama's guidance. I think the healthcare overhaul, which is taking a while to get underway because they NEED to find the best balance possible in the best system possible.

So, no. I do NOT regret voting for Obama. In fact, I'm quite happy with my choice. And no. I do NOT like his policies toward Israel. But that does not make him a bad president. A bit naive, perhaps, when it comes to Israel, but not a bad president.

Re-Post - William Shatner Poetizes Sarah Palin...

2009-07-29T10:25:00.000-04:00

In a brilliant tribute to his own now famous (or, maybe, infamous) reading of Rocket Man, Captain Kirk himself takes the Poets' seat again to read Sarah Palin's farewell speech as a poem... Absolutely brilliant! :)

Youtube had to get rid of this, so I reposted it from NBC.

Ah. Finally the Answer to a Most Pressing Question...

2009-07-28T14:40:00.003-04:00

Ever wonder why the Starship Enterprise has the two warp nacelles and the cylindrical bottom (aka the engineering section) in that particular shape? Here's the answer! :)

By the way, I did see the new Star Trek movie. I really and truly enjoyed it. It was like visiting an old friend. Ironically, the only part I didn't really like was Leonard Nimoy's performance. It was very wooden. What a shame. It was otherwise a really great movie!

Laffa and Pita bread recipes

2009-07-27T18:59:00.004-04:00

I've been enthusiastically baking laffa bread the last few Fridays. I'd been looking for a recipe for a long, LONG time. Since our move to the Midwest, we simply haven't had any, and there is none to be found within at least 400 or 500 miles. In any direction. I found this recipe and we all really love it. In truth, it's a simple pita recipe. The laffa is just made a bit differently than the pita. If you know of a better recipe than this, PLEASE leave for me in the comments or email me! Thanks!

Ingredients:
7 cups bread flour
one package dry yeast
3 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar (a bit more may be added if desired)
1 teaspoon salt (again, a bit more may be added for a saltier bread, but don't overdo it!)
4 tablespoons olive oil (I use the mild kind, but any will do).

Mix the yeast with the flour. Add water, sugar, salt and olive oil and knead for about 10 minutes, until dough is smooth, shiny, and slightly sticky. Add flour if needed (too wet) or water (if too dry).

Transfer dough to a large greased (I use olive oil) bowl (in truth, I just knead the dough in a giant bowl to begin with and when I'm done, I take out the dough, grease the giant bowl, and return the dough to the bowl). Generously rub top and sides with olive oil. Allow dough to rise to double its size.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces (you may get one or two more, and that's fine). Roll each piece into a ball, place on a floured surface, cover with a damp towel (I just wet and use a paper towel) and allow to rest for ten minutes. Roll out each piece into a 12-14 inch round.

Now, there are two ways of baking:

Method 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. place rounds on a cookie sheet (covered with parchment paper) and bake for about ten minutes.

Method 2 (the one I use simply because I haven't tried Method 1 yet):

This is easiest of you have an electric burner.

Turn burner on to a medium high heat. place a large pan or wok BOTTOMS UP over the burner and bake the laffa on the bottom of the pan (I happen to have a new pan I never used, so this worked well for me). Bake until bubbles form and bottom of the laffa begins to develop some brown spots. Flip and bake other side. Make sure the laffa is COMPLETELY flat, otherwise you'll have unbaked edges. I use a spatula to flatten the bread when I turn it over.

Recently, I started using an 11"x11" stovetop griddle (two, actually, over the large burners). I use a slightly lower heat. This method takes far less time and I think they come out even better than baking them on an upside-down pan.

Remove from over or pan (depending on what method you use) and place inside a towel (any kitchen towel will do. Let cool for about a minute, and then immediately transfer into a plastic bag and close it up! The moisture from the heat is what will make the laffa very pliable, moist, and yummy. Keep adding laffas to the bag.

Enjoy warm. You may freeze these. When you reheat, reheat IN the plastic bag so they stay moist.

Hope you have as much fun making these as I do!

P.S. To make these into pitas:

Follow steps UP to the part where you divide the dough:

Divide dough into TWENTY equal parts, roll into balls, place on floured surface, and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Roll out each ball into a 10-12 inch round and about 1/4 inch thick. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes, just until the pitas swell up and begin to show golden spots. Avoid over-baking if you don't want to end up with giant pita chips.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Cover pitas with a kitchen towel for a few minutes to keep them soft. Enjoy!

Want to Go Home...

2009-07-24T12:45:00.003-04:00

It's been my mind a lot lately. I really want to go back to Israel. Problem is, if we can't make it here financially, how are we supposed to make it there? So, I have to come up with a long term plan. It needs to involve me actually making some money here, going back to school to get a graduate degree, and making sure, should we decide to make Aliyah, that at least I, preferably both of us, have jobs in Israel. As I understand it, now is a great time to make Aliyah as the economy there is better, for the first time in history, than it is in the US.

But there's more to it than that. I have felt my connection with Judaism, Torah, and God slipping drastically in recent months. I'm always quite angry at God. The only time I ever feel a real connection is when I'm learning Navi, davening on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (and yes, I STILL do daven thrice a day and put on talis and tefilin for shacharis), and when I'm listening to older Jewish music (pre-1990 - anything after is pure crap). Aside from that, I just really feel no connection, except to one thing, which is a constant at this point: Eretz Yisrael. I miss it. I love it. I cry when I think about it. I cry when I daven about it. I cry during the three haftarot preceding (especially Shabbos Chazon) AND the seven proceeding Tish'a B'Av. On a side point, what really upsets me is that I daven in a Religious Zionist shul, and during these deeply moving and emotional haftarot, through my own tears, I see and hear people talking and chatting, not paying any attention to these haftarot (and even the ones who do pay attention so not seem to have any kind of emotional response) and the message they convey. It is deeply upsetting to me.

A friend, who also happens to be my rav, discussed the mourning period known as the Three Weeks. For a memory refresh, my issues with the Three Weeks are recorded here. I mentioned I find the idea of building UP to the worst day rather than down seems a bit backward when it comes to mourning. This is especially poignant to me having experienced going through aveilus after my father died (and yes, I'm still quite angry at him and do very much despise him, but I'm passed that now!).

He said, and I agree, one does build up, whether it's Rosh Chodesh Elul to Rosh Hahshana to Yom Kippur or Shiv'a Asar B'Tammuz to Tish'a B'Av, one builds up to the culmination.

Good. But, I said, I still don't agree, as mourning is supposed to dissipate, not get worse, and this is a mourning period, unlike the Yamim Noraim, which are does of repentance, and DO legitimately build up.

So, he asked me: "Do YOU deeply feel the loss of the Bais HaMikdash EVERY SINGLE DAY?"

I answered, honestly, that I did. Not for the Bais HaMikdash itself or even for what it represented, which was a closeness to God, because in truth, WITH the Bais HaMikdash, WITH the opportunity for such closeness, that closeness was squandered.

No. I feel, daily, all the time, the loss of the what the Bais HaMikdash was SUPPOSED to represent. It was a place where ALL Jews, regardless of HOW they worshipped God or HOW they followed legitimate halacha and a Torah lifestyle, were supposed to come together in Achdus, in universal unity. They were supposed to come together, bound by a love of their land, Torah, and each other, following the creed of "V'Ahavta L'Rei'acha Kamocha" - loving one's fellow Jew as one loves oneself.

But they didn't. And they STILL can't. Yesterday's events with that horrible moser, the "frum" person who baited people into laundering money for him and then turning them over to the government, is a prime example.

I just finished watching the miniseries Masada (Peter Strauss and Peter O'Toole) from 1981. There was one great line Peter Strauss, as the character of Elazar ben Yair said to Peter O'Toole's character of Flavius Silva. He said (I can't quote directly, but you'll get the gist) the problem Romans are having with the Jews is the Romans' own fault. When the Romans came in, they were a common enemy against whom the Jews could stand united. What the Romans SHOULD do, said Elazar ben Yair, is just leave the Jews alone. Left to their own devices, the Jews will be at each others' throats before long.

Truer words are difficult to find, again, especially light of yesterday's events.

So, yes. I do feel that loss. On a constant daily basis. And I do want to go home. I want to feel my connection to God and Yiddishkeit again. I've lost it, and that loss cannot be replaced with anything but what I've lost. I don't really know any other way to get it back.

Here's to hoping my wife and I can get our lives to a point where, soon, we can make Aliyah, happily and agreeably, and go home, where we belong.

Bankruptcy

2009-07-24T12:36:00.003-04:00

Well, I figure, while I'm blogging, I might as well blog.

So, we finally went through with the bankruptcy. Our credit is shot to hell. The BK will be on our report for ten years. We won't be able to get any kind of credit (not necessarily for credit cards - don't want those EVER again - but for things like home or car loans) for at least the next two to four years.

BUT. We'll be out of credit card debt once we attend our hearing next month. That'll be a huge, $50,000 relief. Now it's time to pick up the pieces and move on. My wife and I are both looking for jobs. Me because my business pretty much died and her because her job just sucks. We'd both love to go back to school, and if I can at least find a part-time job, it's something I might be able to pull off. We'll see what happens. But first I gotta find the job. Here's to hoping!

More to come...

Disgusting Events

2009-07-24T12:22:00.003-04:00

Hi all (assuming anyone's still reading this!). I guess yesterday's events are bringing me back out again. I'm sure I don't need to quote any articles or link to anything. It's already quite well known.

There was a big sting operation in New Jersey, in which, among others, a bunch of Chareidi rabbis were arrested for money laundering. Now, obviously I have no sympathy for these scumbags. They broke the law AND halacha, and for that I simply say what I've been saying all along: These groups, with their chumrahs and "holier-than-thou" attitudes, are simply not frum. They disgust me. This is a prime reason why. Not only are they simply NOT shomrei Torah and Mitzvos, they also make all the rest of us who DO try to live a Torah observant life, and even those of us who don't but simply live lives as good people, look awful to the rest of the world. In short, it's pretty damned embarrassing.

But there's more. The informant the articles mention, the witness who was undercover for about two years, is ALSO a "frum" Jew, one under indictment for fraud (not sure what else to call being busted for writing and bouncing a $25,000,000 check), who volunteered to the Feds to bait and incriminate others JUST to save his own skin and get a lighter sentence. Isn't that lovely? He is a Moser, in the worst sense of the word. And here we are in the middle of the Nine Days leading up to Tish'a B'Av, our national day of mourning when we commemorate the destruction of the Batei Mikdash, which God destroyed because of (at least in the case of the second one) Sinas Chinam and people turning others into the government. This is a prime example of the Kamtza/Bar Kamtza story. But at least in THAT story, one may understand WHY Kamtza (or was it Bar-Kamtza? I can never remember) did what he did and caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. He was terribly embarrassed and no one spoke up for him.

In this case, this guy got others guys busted just to get a lighter sentence. What a disgusting example of a Jew at his worst.

In the question of who is a worse person here, the money launderers or the Moser (informant), I'm gonna go with the informant. How can a person with ANY kind of conscience do something like this?

Oh, and I might add his father is a very popular and well-known rav in NJ. I've actually met him.

In truth, I'm beside myself with disgust. And then people wonder how it is that Moshiach hasn't come. Is it really any wonder?

Awesome Retrospective About Sarah Palin

2009-07-01T09:48:00.001-04:00

This article is just such a wonderful retrospective about how insanely unqualified Sarah Palin was for the job of Vice President of the United States of America, I simply couldn't pass up posting it. Think of it as my own sigh of relief at avoiding such an unmitigated disaster...

It Came from Wassila, by Todd S. Purdum - Vanity Fair

One of the most priceless, and most revealing lines from this article:

As governor, she hired several old high-school, hometown, or political friends with minimal qualifications for important state jobs. One friend, a former mid-level manager for Alaska Airlines, headed the department that reviewed candidates for state boards and commissions; another became director of the state Division of Agriculture, citing a childhood love of cows as one qualification.

Hmm. I guess now we know where she got the idea that being able to see Russia from her backyard gave unprecedented qualifications in foreign policy...

Priceless. Simply priceless...

And in the Latest Political News... Updated

2009-06-30T15:35:00.003-04:00

The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled Al Franken won the election. Coleman said he would NOT take the fight to the federal courts, but we all know Republicans simply are not capable of telling the truth, so we'll see. In the meantime, MN governor Tim Pawlenty, another Republican, previously stated he would certify whoever the state courts ruled had won the race for the senate seat. Again, we'll see if he keeps his words, but his certification is NOT necessary for the Senate to seat Al Franken.

In case anyone missed this, the victory gives the Democrats a 60 seat, filibuster proof, majority. NOW it's time to really repair this country and the damage the Republicans have merrily done since early 1995.

The funniest thing about this Minnesota election race is that it was a couple of MOTs (Members of the Tribe - in other words, Jews), fighting over one of the most goyishe states in the union. I mean, really? MINNESOTA?! :)

And in further developing developments,

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Republican Norm Coleman conceded to Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota's contested Senate race on Tuesday, ending a nearly eight-month recount and court fight over an election decided by only a few hundred votes.

Coleman announced his decision at a news conference in St. Paul, hours after a unanimous Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Franken, a former "Saturday Night Live" comedian and liberal commentator, should be certified the winner.

"The Supreme Court has made its decision and I will abide by the results," Coleman told reporters outside his St. Paul home.

"In these tough times we all need to focus on the future, and the future is that we have a new United States senator," Coleman said.

Franken's presence in the Senate would give the Democrats control of 60 seats, enough to overcome any Republican filibuster if they stay united.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the earliest Franken would be seated is next week, because the Senate is out of session for the July 4 holiday.

Let's hope the rest of the Republican Party adheres to this...

More Star Wars Mr. Potato Head characters!

2009-06-21T16:16:00.000-04:00

StarWars.com | One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, More

MaSHter Yoda, CHIPbacca, and C-3PotatO.

Oy.

Although, in all honesty, I DO have a Darth Tater on my desk... :)

Economy Gone Bad, Worse, and Worst

2009-06-19T15:08:00.000-04:00

Pretty good article by Arianna Huffington about the economy, the Wall Street Bailout/Economy, and the "real economy" and where it's all gone so wrong and continues to go so wrong. Arianna Huffington: Mission Shrink: We've Gone From Saving Wall Street in Order to Save Main Street to Just Saving Wall Street.

President Obama, PLEASE don't let us down...

Not Blogging Much Lately...

2009-06-14T00:52:00.003-04:00

I don't even know if more than a couple of people even read this blog any longer, but to those who do, I'm sorry I've not been blogging much lately. I haven't stopped, I've just slowed down a bit as so much has been going on in life lately. The latest drama is actually declaring bankruptcy this week. The credit card has simply overwhelmed us and the income simply isn't enough to pay the credit cards. On top of that, one of the credit companies is suing us for the $20,000 balance we owe them, and rather than allow them to put a lien on our home or garnish wages, we decided, since the company refused to be reasonable and wait a bit longer, it was time to his the reset button.

We hate doing it. It's caused LOTS of stress, it'll be on our credit report for ten years, and it all-around sucks. But we're out of choices at this point.

I just hope after all the smoke clears we'll be able to better our lives, move on, and live our lives again for ourselves, rather than for the credit card companies.

I plan to be back, and I will blog periodically, as I have been. It'll just take a while.

Bob Cesca: The Health Insurance Mafia Deserves a Good Screwing

2009-06-11T13:37:00.000-04:00

This article says it all.

A Bit of Politics...

2009-06-05T11:27:00.003-04:00

Oh. My. GOD!!! What a freakin' idiot!

I'm speaking, of course, about Nevada governor Jim Gibbons (Republican - DUH!), who is doing terribly in the polls (he's at 17% and, apparently, only about 17 % of REPUBLICANS will vote for him in the primaries). So, as his latest tactic, he's decided to attack to the White House and President Obama:

For weeks now, Gibbons has been attracting attention for lashing out at Obama after the Democratic president bluntly suggested to corporate executives receiving government aid: “You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas ... on the taxpayers’ dime.”

Claiming that Obama’s comment led to the cancellation of conferences, which harmed his state’s largest city, Gibbons blasted the president. “Obama stood for change,” the governor said, “but all he has done is brought negative economic change to Nevada.”

*Snip*

“Gov. Gibbons’ only concern is President Obama’s insult to Las Vegas and Nevada,” said Dan Burns, Gibbons’ press secretary. “I would hope that anyone would stand up for Nevada like Gov. Gibbons has stood up for Nevada and Las Vegas.”

Uh. Yeah. Jim? Remember how pissed off pretty much the entire friggin' country was at the corporations taking bailout money (from Bush, I might add) and then using said money to take the corporate executives on vacation to Las Vegas? Remember that? Hmm?

So, you're blaming Obama for the corporations NOT using OUR money to spend in YOUR state? And THAT'S the platform on which you are basing your campaign?!

That's just pathetic. Here's hoping to see YOU out of office real soon...

For the full article about two governors (the other is Republican governor Rick Perry of Texas - big surprise there...), click here.

Obama Speaks in Cairo... Iran Blocks Signal

2009-06-04T11:25:00.002-04:00

So, Obama gave a pretty good speech in Cairo. He said the Palestinians need to stop terrorizing (yeah, like THAT'S gonna happen), and Israel needs to stop building settlements (yeah, like THAT'S gonna happen, too!).

He also made some good comments about not fitting all Muslims into a "crude" stereotype, nor of fitting the US into a stereotype of a self-interested empire. Then the article went on to say this:

Obama's remarks were televised on all radio and television stations in Israel, and with Arabic voice-over translations by Arab satellite stations Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera, Egyptian TV and Al-Manar, an outlet for the militant group Hezbollah. The speech was not broadcast in Iran, where the goverment jammed signals to block satellite owners from watching.

Seriously? You gotta love those Persians. Is Ahmedinejad so stupid, and government so stupid, they don't realize people who have satellite likely have internet access as well and would be able to access the speech, if not live, then not too long afterward, online at any number of websites? And what were they afraid of, in any case? Obama trying to bring peace to a troubled region? Well, obviously, they were.

What a bunch of tech non-savvy idiots.

The World of Tomorrow

2009-06-03T18:30:00.001-04:00

Just found in the archives: An amazingly accurate, mid-Twentieth Century prediction of what the year 2000 will be like!

Heh heh heh... :)

Toy Story 3!

2009-05-31T08:29:00.000-04:00

Cool!

Bang It Out's Top Ten Shavuot Rules

2009-05-28T17:07:00.002-04:00

These are great! Thanks to Bangitout!

Top Ten Rules of Shavuot

10. If a shiur title has any arbitrary pop-culture reference (Gossip Girl/American Idol/CSI) it is a key sign: it will be about the most boring topic on earth

9. No man has ever looked at the words of Akdumus without instantly dozing off

8. There may only be a handful of people staying up, but at 3:30am all of the shul's 1000 Styrofoam cups will be used

7. You can (and are obligated to) murder any chazan who decides that 5am may be a good time to belt out some long winded hallel tunes (Amen to this one...)

6. There must be at least one family who doesn’t "hold of eating dairy on yuntif"

5. Learning from Midnight to 5am on average yields about 15 minutes of real actual Torah study

4. A comment regarding how much lighter one feels since they aren't eating meat every meal, must be recited/heard at least twice a day. (Oddly, all the stories in Nach and in the Midrash about eating dairy is the point was dairy made people drowsy and fall asleep so they could be offed by a woman...)

3. As a kid, you felt that the person who slept long enough to say Brachot in the morning was probably going to hell

2. The number of books you bring to shul is directly proportional to the number of books you will end up using as a pillow

1. Most overly-used Rabbi excuse to leave early and sleep must be invoked: "I have to conduct morning services" (Heh. I've actually heard this one before!)

the Dry Bones Blog

2009-05-22T08:15:00.001-04:00

My dear friend Yaakov Kirschen, of Dry Bones fame, posted this wonderful little quiz today. Can YOU answer all the questions correctly?

Kudos, Yaakov!

Breaking News! Wile E. Coyote Kills Roadrunner!

2009-05-19T16:09:00.001-04:00

This is F&#@ING HILARIOUS!!!

Comedy Only as Dom DeLuise Could Pull It Off...

2009-05-18T16:15:00.001-04:00

Sigh. Rest in Peace, Dom. You were one of the greats.

We Wanna Sue Israel. But Wait! We Don't RECOGNIZE Israel!

2009-05-12T10:31:00.004-04:00

Stupid Iraqis:

Iraq Considers Suit over 1981 Israeli Strike
by Maayana Miskin

Iraqi parliamentarians are weighing a lawsuit against Israel in which they would demand compensation for Israel's 1981 strike on the Osiraq nuclear reactor. Israel demolished the reactor to prevent the terror-supporting state from attaining nuclear weapons.

Iraqi MP Mohammed Naji Mahmoud is leading the push to sue. Iraq deserves “billions of dollars” in damages, Mahmoud has said.

The MPs hope to pass a bill that would require the Iraqi government to sue Israel for damages. However, the government must do so without recognizing the State of Israel as a legitimate entity, the MPs say.

The suit, if it is filed, will use the United Nations condemnation of the Israeli strike as proof that Israel unfairly caused Iraq financial losses.

Supporters of the initiative say it does not indicate support for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, whose regime built the Osiraq facility. Any money gained from the suit would be used to build the current state of Iraq.

The MPs' plan to sue may be linked to a lawsuit filed by former Iraqi Jews, who have sued for compensation for properties in Iraq that their families were forced to abandon when they were driven from the country by increasing Muslim violence following the establishment of the State of Israel. The Iraqi government claims that Iraqi Jews who left for Israel did so by choice.

Best line in the article:

The MPs hope to pass a bill that would require the Iraqi government to sue Israel for damages. However, the government must do so without recognizing the State of Israel as a legitimate entity, the MPs say.

Um. So which will it be? Recognize Israel and sue Israel, or don't recognize Israel and sue whom?

Idiots.

Too Little, Too Late - NEVER Trust Them!!!

2009-05-12T06:22:00.000-04:00

Church committed to reconciliation with Jews: pope

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday said that theCatholic Church was "irrevocably committed" to reconciliation with the Jews.

"Today I have the opportunity to repeat that the Catholic church is irrevocably committed to the path chosen at Second Vatican Councilfor a genuine and lasting reconciliation between Christians and Jews," he said at a meeting with Israel's two chief rabbis.

"As the declaration Nostra Aetate makes clear, the Church continues to value the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews and desires an ever deeper mutual understanding and respect through biblical and ideological studies as well as fraternal dialogues."

Nostra Aetate, passed by the Second Vatican Council in 1965 underPope Paul VI, proclaimed that the Jewish people as a whole could not be held responsible for the death of Jesus Christ.

To Not Like It Would Make Them...

2009-05-11T15:50:00.003-04:00

Well, I'll let Leonard Nimoy tell you...

Klingon Defense Academy!

2009-05-07T16:03:00.002-04:00

This is REALLY funny!

Click

It's Like Na'Aseh V'Nishma, Only Without the Nishma...

2009-05-06T13:01:00.002-04:00

I had a very interesting experience last Shabbos. It was yet another example of Chareidism/Yeshivishness not in any way representing Orthodox Judaism, any more than Conservative and Reform Jews do not in any way represent Orthodox Judaism.

A very nice family invited us for lunch this Shabbos. Along with us, they had another family over (and that other family happens to be our best friends here). Two members of that other family cannot eat anything with gluten in it, so the hostess asked me to provide a gluten-free dessert. I was happy to, of course.

I brought over my world-famous (OK, maybe not WORLD famous...) chocolate mousse pie, sans the pie crust. In other words, I brought over chocolate mousse.

I mentioned to our hostess as we were enjoying the dessert, that this was much better than my Pesach chocolate mousse because on Pesach I have to use one of the "frummie" brands, and they all just really are not good at all. In fact, they're all pretty terrible. She asked me if the "frummie" brand chocolate chips I used for Pesach are any better during the rest of the year. I told her I had no idea as during the rest of the year I use Trader Joe's brand pareve chocolate chips that have the circle K hechsher on them.

Our hostess became very quiet. I made nothing of it. We finished lunch, and the kids and I went home. My wife stayed behind to chat for a few minutes. I went to bed and had a nice nap.

Then I had a rather rude awakening. My wife came upstairs and let me know our hostess had sent home the chocolate mousse because they only eat bishul Yisrael, and as the mousse was made with non-"frummie" brand chocolate chips, they just couldn't eat it.

I flew off the handle at that, but kept it in the house. I was angry. No. I was REALLY angry. In fact, I was so angry, I was going to write this post as soon as Shabbos was over. But, I thought better of it. My wife convinced me not to write an angry rant. So, I let it cool down for a few days.

The next morning, after davening, I asked my rav, who also happens to be my chavrusa, about this chumrah of "bishul Yisrael." He asked me what that meant. So I told him what happened. He told me that's the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. First, having a hechsher on a product negates the need for "bishul Yisrael." Second, "bishul Yisrael" has no bearing in this situation. He explained to me nicely, and pretty much said what the following Wikipedia article says (sources included): Bishul Yisrael is a Hebrew term for one of the laws of kashrut in Judaism. The rule prohibits eating certain foods if they are cooked entirely by non-Jews.^[1] The term bishul Yisrael (literally "cooking of Israel" - i.e., by a Jew) is the opposite of bishul akum, (cooking of a non-Jew), which the rule forbids. ("Akum" (עכו"ם) is an acronym of "Ovdey Kochavim U'Mazalot" (עובדי כוכבים ומזלות), literally "worshippers of stars and zodiac signs", but is actually a term for non-Jews).^[2]
This rule is part of a set of decrees instituted by the rabbis of the Talmud to prevent intermarriages with non-Jews.^[3] The purpose of the rule is explicitly to inhibit socializing with non-Jews. The prohibition of bishul akumapplies to a formal meal prepared exclusively by non-Jews, even if the situation was one which had no other kosher food problems.^[4]
The prohibition applies only if the food is prepared exclusively by non-Jews.^[5] A small amount of Jewish participation can suffice to keep the food kosher.^[3] Different rabbis have different views on the absolute minimum: Sephardi poskim state that the minimum participation is to light the fire and place the pot on it to cook, while Ashkenazim are satisfied with merely lighting the fire, or even making a slight adjustment to a fire which was already lit by a non-Jew.^[3]
The law applies only to foods which, according to the Talmud, are "fit for a king's table" (and could not be eaten raw).^[3] Foods which would not be served at a state dinner are exempt from bishul akum, and are kosher even if cooked totally by non-Jews, provided that all the other requirements of kosher food are met.^[6] Maimonides explains that this prohibition was originally decreed in order to avoid a Jew being invited over by a non-Jew for a meal (which may lead to intermarriage), and people do not invite each other for dinner over food which is not "fit for a King's table" (Maimonides, Ma'akhalot Asurot 17:15).
In contemporary observance, the mashgiach, along with supervising food preparation, typically helps start the stove and/or provides other participation in the cooking sufficient to ensure that the rule of bishul Yisrael is complied with.^[7] In situations where bishul akum would present a problem, our Chachomim have instructed us that this disqualification can be avoided by having the observant Jewish homemaker or a mashgiach, a kosher supervisor, perform an integral part of the cooking process, such as turning on the fire. When a Yehudi, an observant Jew, assists in the preparation, we say that the food is prepared through bishul Yisroel.
References
^ "Star-K Kosher Certification - Kosher Consumer". www.star-k.org. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
^ "Keeping Kosher in a Non-Kosher World". www.shemayisrael.co.il. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bishul Akum at koltorah.org
^ OU Kosher | Playing with Fire, by R. Yaakov Luban
^ Is a non-Jew permitted to turn on the oven or stove? - Kosher Q&A
^ Bishul Akum at star-k.org, The White House State Dinner Policy
^ Bishul Akum at star-k.org.
^ Kahrut Cooking by a non-Jew, at Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies - SIJS

In other words, while I'd like to think my chocolate mousse is fit for a state dinner, I certainly wouldn't put JUST chocolate chips on the table. I'm pretty sure no one else would either. Further, as is the case with pas palter, we're allowed to eat mass produced hechshered breads because there's really no "danger" of associating with non-Jews as there might be if one ate from one's non-Jewish neighbor's kitchen.

This rabbi, of whom my rav has a VERY low opinion (and that's putting it in much nicer terms than he did), is apparently feeding his congregants blanket chumrahs without explanations. This has come up with this rabbi before, as well. Apparently, according to this rabbi, one is not allowed to use baby wipes because they're designed to exude moisture, and doing so on Shabbos is forbidden. What he said one IS allowed to use is a damp paper towel because paper towels are designed to absorb moisture, not let it out.

Hmm. Not sure about anyone else, but the last time I gave a squeeze to a damp paper towel, the water DID come out.

Next case was an Eruv case. Apparently, according to this rabbi, who claims he asked Rav Elyashiv in Israel and is basing his psak upon that of Rav Elyashiv's, the eruv in our town is not a kosher eruv. However, one MAY push a stroller or a wheelchair in the eruv. And so our host was indeed pushing a stroller. With a three and a half year old in it, not an infant.

When I told my rav about this rabbi asking Rav Elyashiv, my rav in no uncertain terms pronounced this rabbi a liar.

This chumrah happiness is like Na'Aseh V'Nishma, Only Without the Nishma. No one seems to find it important to get reasons for certain chumrahs and halachas. Apparently it's only important to just do, without thinking about it and without questioning. Except the possuk said "Na'Aseh V'NISHMA." We will do and we will HEAR. Hearing means learning the nuances of Torah, of Halacha. Not just doing blindly to the point where one hurts other people's feelings and transgresses the halachas of Bein Adam La'Makom, where the halachas Bein Adam La'Chaveiro are thrown out the window in favor of silly chumrahs. I'm not worried about my hurt feelings. Frankly, it meant more chocolate mousse in the house, which made my wife, her parents, and my mother quite happy. It's just that these chumrah happy people, rabbis and followers alike, simply know nothing about halacha, never think to ask, and simply and blindly follow, regardless of consequences or of other people.

Once again, this type of Judaism, this chumrah happy Chareidism, is simply not in any way representative of what it means to be a Torah observant Jew.

Starbucks: A Jewish Plot to Take Over the Arab World

2009-04-21T20:01:00.002-04:00

Well, apparently, since the picture of the girl wearing the crown that is the Starbucks logo is that of Queen Esther, Queen of the Jews. Hmm. News to me.

It's good to be back. Sorry I haven't posted lately, but between Pesach, work, and bronchitis, it's been kinda hectic lately...

April Showers...

2009-04-05T10:20:00.002-04:00

I always enjoy a good pun! :)

Encounters with a Lubavitcher

2009-04-03T15:04:00.002-04:00

Oh. My. God. Not that I ever needed reaffirming to my decision to leave the Chabad fold so many years, but I got it anyway last week.

My mom received a rather large chunk of money from Social Security, which allowed her to move to our town and settle in a nice little apartment about two blocks away from us. We rented a truck with this money, and a friend of my parents' offered to drive it, free of charge, as long as my mom paid for the gas, the rental, and what little food he needed.

Sounds nice, right?

Wrong. This guy, and really, all my thanks to him for do such an act of chesed for my mom, is THE Lubavitch stereotype. He is a boor, an Am Ha'Aretz, thinks he's an expert at EVERYTHING, the son of Ba'alei Teshuva (not that that's a bad thing - so am I, but at least I had the foresight to move on from Chabad at a pretty early age). Now, I'm not judging him on his total ignorance on pretty much every subject he discussed. The problem was, he didn't take that one little piece of advice from Pirkei Avos: Syag LaChochma SHTIKA - a fence to wisdom is SILENCE. In other words - if you're dumb and don't want people to know it, keep your mouth shut. Otherwise people will certainly know you're not the brightest bulb in chandelier. And this guy personified this notion, in blazing colors.

First, he thinks he's expert at everything, especially about hashgacha, mainly because he worked as a mashgiach. He won't eat OU glatt because it's not good enough. Then he'll deny insinuating it's not good enough. Cholov stam is pure traif, but then he'll deny insinuating that, too. Satmar supervised meat is no good because thirty-five years ago, when the Satmars controlled most of kashrus in the US, there was an incident with traif meat. Therefore, for all time, Satmar is traif. But then he'll deny insinuating THAT. My response to the last was we specifically DON'T eat Lubavitch meat because for all we know, the shochtim and the mashgichim are Meshichist who believe the Rebbe is God incarnate (funny, didn't we go through that about 2000 years ago? As I recall, that didn't work out so well for the Jews). When it came to keeping Chalav Yisrael, he went on and on about the hechsherim were originally put on the foods to allow people to have their children drink pure milk when on trips, but for no other reason and he insinuated that anything with a D tagged on the hechsher was actually not kosher because the whole D thing got completely out of control. In other words, anything with non-Chalav Yisrael in it was indeed traif in all but name.

Of course, if you follow that logic, then nothing with those hechsherim at all is actually kosher. What was so ridiculous is when I spelled out his insinuations, he completely denied them, not by saying he didn't say they weren't kosher, but by saying "I never SAID that!"

This guy went on and on and on. He just wouldn't shut up for the three days he was here!

And that's not the worst of it! When he set out last on Saturday night (March 21) we told him to take his time and not get here until Wednesday as my mom wasn't arriving until Tuesday night and wouldn't have the keys to her apartment until Wednesday morning. Did he listen? No. Of course not. He decided to chew an entire package (at least!) Jolt gum (made, I believe, by the makers of Jolt Cola - twice the caffein, all the sugar). Problem was, he did NOT follow the instructions on the box because the guy refused to read. The box stated that TWO pieces, NOT an entire package, were the equivalent to a full energy drink serving (think Red Bull).

So, he simply couldn't sleep most of the trip and drove 45 out of 52 hours straight to get here. Guess when he got here? Yeah. 5:25 AM on Tuesday morning. Woke us all up by calling to let us know he was outside. Idiot.

And, it gets even better. The guy conked out on my couch for about five and a half hours, snoring loudly through a meeting I was trying to have here. He also ate us out of house and home, but ONLY pareve stuff. No meat, no dairy. Neither was kosher enough for him. And the amounts he ate were incredible.

On top of all that, this guy was completely uncouth, didn't shower, was loud and obnoxious, and all around annoying.

This guy made $300 for the drive. He also got lots of furniture and appliances out of my mom's house, probably worth a grand total of about $5000 for $1500. It was originally supposed to be $3250, but he said no because he knew we really had no choice, so he accepted a contract with the amount of $2500. He then emailed me at 6:20 AM EST (that's 3:20 AM HIS time) and protested the $2500. To just get rid of him, I agreed to $1500. It was worth not speaking to him again.

Ah, yes. Speaking to him. He called last Friday morning at 2:53 AM after two attempts to reach me on my cell phone and a first attempt on my home phone. Woke us up at 3 in the friggin' AM. When I made mentioned of it, he said he "forgot" the time difference. Because Midnight is any better, right? And he had just gotten home from Cleveland and rushed right over to my mom's old house to take stuff and it was so important to call me, who had nothing to do with ANYTHING in Las Vegas, and tell me someone had taken the washing machine he was supposed to get.

What an idiot.

I'm not sure I've properly conveyed how much of a visit from hell this was. I mean, it was a MAJOR visit from hell. Thank God my wife had the foresight NOT to allow him to stay in our home. We were actually able to put him up in an empty house that's for sale and has some furniture in it. Thank God for small favors. But really, I don't know if I can properly convey what an idiot this guy is! He got all bent out of shape when I talked my mother out of continuing to keep Chalav Yisrael because the quality is terrible and it's WAY too expensive and she just can't afford it. He tried valiantly to convince her to continue keeping this silly chumrah, almost, but not quite, to the point of telling her how traif non-Chalav Yisrael products actually are. He pissed me royally, and after he'd gone on for HOURS, I finally exploded a the guy and told to butt the fuck out business not his own and explained quite clearly that my mom needed every dollar she could save. I FINALLY (I hope) managed to shut him up, but it took an awful long time.

I drove him to Mincha at the local Chabad shul here, and he was so excited when he got out of the car, he exclaimed he couldn't wait to see a friendly Lubavitch face. In other words, no one else is frum.

And that's really the message this guy conveyed during his stay here. No Judaism aside from Lubavitch is real Judaism. No Judaism except Lubavitch Judaism is kosher Judaism. And that was the basic message he conveyed, and it was disgusting.

Now, this schmuck keeps calling me. Luckily, every time he's called this week, my mom was here, so SHE got to talk to him instead of me. I really pray he ceases having contact with me. I'm not his friend. I don't WANT to be his friend. I just want him to go away. Forever.

Well, that's my rant for the week. It's been brewing for a week. It's finally out.

3 O'Clock in the effing morning. Moron.

The Blessing Of The Sun - Birchat HaChama - ברכת החמה

2009-03-31T13:17:00.000-04:00

This is an interesting background behind the reasons for the recitation of Bichat Hachama, the blessing of the sun, once every twenty-eight years.

Boiled down, Jews recite the blessing over the sun once every twenty-eight years, sometime in Nissan, on a Wednesday, to commemorate the anniversary of the sun's creation and it's return to its actual starting orbit, or starting point in the sky, if you will.

I've only really got this to say: If the month of Nissan, or rather, the vernal equinox, is when the sun was actually created, then how can we also possibly believe the beginning of the world, the creation, happened during the week before Rosh Hashana.

Just another of hundreds or thousands of contradictions, to which the inevitable, and quite stupid answer, is: Eilu v'Eilu Divrei Elokim Chaim - both are the words of a living God.

Yeah. Right. Puh-LEAZE!

Moses is Departing Egypt: A Facebook Haggadah

2009-03-31T08:02:00.000-04:00

This is pretty hilarious!

Slowing Down?

2009-03-30T16:02:00.003-04:00

I HOPE not. It's just that between my mom finally moving to town last week, starting a new business that my partner and I are working hard to get off the ground, my medical equipment business looking like it's starting to pick up (please, God!), and Passover preparations, it's been a bit crazy.

Now, this time of year brings all sorts of fun with it! It brings about all three of my biggest pet peeves all at once: Daylight Saving Time (here, here, and here), second day of Yom Tov (too many to list individually, so click this and see the list), and, of course, Kitniyos on Pesach (also too many to list individually, so click here for this list).

Enjoy those older posts, as I don't really have much to add to them at this time, except that, when it comes to kitniyos and second day of yom tov, I AM finding more and more people who agree with me. Is there something reason aside from "mesorah" preventing us from getting rid of the chaff? It's really interesting that silly things that get added can stay on, but they can never be dropped. Did I tell of my latest discovery? It's about saying the bracha of Ga'al Yisrael before Shemoneh Esrei in Shacharis.

Most shuls (non-Lubavitch, of course) in which I've davened, if not all them, the Shliach Tzibur ends the bracha of Ga'al Yisrael preceding the Shacharis Shemoneh Esrei quietly in order to prevent one from saying Amen so that the congregation can segue directly into Shemoneh Esrei without a hefsek (any stop for other words or even a breath).

Here's what I found out yesterday: Apparently, this is a relatively "new" innovation and most poskim say one should not do this. Some say the Amen is NOT a hefsek, others say the congregation should just say the bracha with the Shliach Tzibur and end at the same time he does.

Strangely, I always thought this was just common-sense practice. Pretty much every shul I've been to in the last twenty-two years (again, NOT including Chabad) follows this practice and I'd NEVER heard it was wrong, but it really is.

So, a "new" minhag sets in, and most people practice it even though it's wrong. I'd like to see them try to get rid of it. Good luck with that. Another fifty or a hundred years, and it'll be Halacha.

Well, that's my rant for now. As Arnold would say: I'll be back... I've lots to say, especially about my deceased (thank God) father and about my mom, who has finally moved to town and is living about two blocks from now.

Now This is Just Downright WEIRD!

2009-03-23T12:17:00.001-04:00

War Crimes Committed by Jews?

2009-03-20T06:21:00.001-04:00

U.N. rights envoy sees Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

Funny how all during the operation, Israel showed quite clearly and the reporting was quite clear that Hamas cowards were hiding behind civilians and using those civilians as human shields. Yet, ISRAEL is accused of committing war crimes.

Strange how some guy calling on the Geneva Conventions, put forth in a city in Switzerland, a country that remained "neutral" during World War II, would say something this. Strange that the Swiss, or the world in general, for that matter, didn't really seem to care about the human rights' violations of Jews in Europe during World War II. You know, that little thing called the Holocaust, six years of pure hell during which six million Jews were murdered simply because they were Jews, and so many who were tortured and treated worse than animals in test labs, starved, and forced into slave labor.

Oh. I forgot. We Jews just aren't human, so we have no human rights TO violate.

Please, world, forgive my presumption. I forgot for a moment and thought we Jews WERE humans who, in Israel, decided to we should defend ourselves against daily multiple rocket attacks that put thousands of men, women, and children in danger EVERY BLOODY DAY. Oh, but like I said THAT'S Ok. After all, it's JUST a bunch of Jews.

DISH Network: REALLY Desperate to Retain Customers...

2009-03-17T16:10:00.003-04:00

Well, my mom is moving to our town to be near us, her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. My mom and I spent part of the morning turning off/canceling services. There was no problem when we told them my dad had died and my mom was leaving. When we got to DISH Network, we got a bit of a surprise. We got them on the phone and told them we needed to cancel the service. The only name on the account is my father's and the only phone number on the account is an already disconnected number, one that was canceled back in November 2008 when my father made the mistake of buying the Magic Jack (never EVER buy that stupid thing - it is TERRIBLE!!!). Oh, and of course, both times I spoke to them, we all know damn well I did NOT speak to someone in the US...

Here's about how conversation #1 went:

Me: Hi. I'm calling to cancel my father's account. He passed away and my mom is moving out of state. She's here on the line with me. There is no forwarding address. Please come and pick up the equipment.

DISH: Is your mom the Executor of the estate?

Mom: Yes.

DISH: We need the paperwork stating this in order for us to cancel the account.

Me: She doesn't have the paperwork available and she has no access to a fax machine. Please just cancel the account.

DISH: We can't do that, sir.

Me: Let's try this again. My mom is leaving the house this Friday. There is no forwarding address. Are you willing to just leave the equipment and keep the service running?

DISH: Yes. We cannot cancel the account without the paperwork.

Me: Ok. I guess you'll just keep billing an empty house. Have a good day!

Intermission

Having told my wife about this conversation, she insisted I try again in order to avoid any possible future problems. She suggested I mention my father had passed away and we'd like to give them their equipment back and how did they want to handle it? So, I called again...

Conversation #2:

DISH: How can I help you.

Me: Hi. My father passed away and we'd like to return the equipment. My mom will be moving out of the house this Friday. When would you like to come pick up the equipment?

DISH: Well, we'd need to see a death certificate.

Me: I'm real sorry, but I don't have it and my mom does not have access to a fax.

DISH: Can you mail it?

Me: No. You don't need my dad's death certificate and we're not mailing it. Please come pick up the equipment.

DISH: Well, we can't do that, sir.

Me: Let me speak to a manager, please.

Manager: Hello. I've been briefed and we simply can't cancel the account without the death certificate.

Me: Listen. The account is under my deceased father's name. No one else's. The number you have is already disconnected. I'm just trying to do the right thing here and make sure you guys aren't out your very expensive equipment.

Manager: I'm sorry, but we must follow the security guidelines.

Me: Ok, let's try this again. My mom's leaving the house Friday and is never going back. The equipment is there now. It will be inaccessible as of Friday. Will you pick up the equipment as of Friday? Yes or no.

Manager: Well, sir, we simply can't cancel the account, blah blah blah blah blah.

Me: My question requires a yes or no answer. Will you come by Friday? Yes or no.

Manager: No, sir.

Me: Ok. No problem. I just wanted on record we DID try to return your equipment and you refused to take it. Just out of curiosity, what happens now? Will you simply keep the service going indefinitely? To whom will you be sending the bill? Will it eventually go to collections? From whom will you collect?

Manager: Well, we'd collect from your fath--

Me: Uh huh. But he's not alive any longer. So, then what?

Manager: Well it would eventually just get written off.

Me: So, you'd rather it went through all that, cost you guys for time and labor, rather than just cancel now?

Manager: Well, sir, we just can't cancel the account.

Me: Well, then, I guess we have nothing more to discuss. I'M not liable for the account. My MOM'S not liable for the account, so good luck with that and have a great day!

Manager: Thank you, sir. You have a nice day too.

Hang up.

Seriously? Are they THAT desperate to retain customers? Is it a thing about having customers on the books, or something? In any case, my mom's not leaving a forwarding address and isn't on the account anyway. So much for that!

And that's what you get when you outsource. People who simply aren't even allowed to think outside the box and who cost businesses more money.

I Don't Usually Laud Republicans...

2009-03-17T10:28:00.002-04:00

But this is DEFINITELY the headline of the day:Grassley to AIG Execs: Resign or Commit Suicide
The article goes on to say:

Senator Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, made his comments on the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, radio station WMT on Monday.

"The first thing that would make me feel a little bit better toward them (is) if they'd follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, I'm sorry, and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide," Grassley said.

"And in the case of the Japanese," he added, "they usually commit suicide before they make any apology."

Totally awesome! Maybe there IS some hope the Republicans will come around and start doing good for the American people.

Or, more likely, the Grassley's comments were made to deflect blame FROM the Republicans...

Oh, Good Lord. Here We Go Again. MUST She Speak Nationally? Really?

2009-03-16T15:43:00.003-04:00

Oh, joy. Failin' Palin gets to open her big mouth on a national level AGAIN to prove, just one last time, how incredibly stupid, unintelligent, and ignorant she really is. Whoopee. Palin Gets Senate-House GOP Keynote
Republicans are still pushing Sarah Palin's star power.
Palin will deliver the keynote address at the annual Senate-House GOP dinner to be held on June 8 at the Washington Convention Center, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-Texas) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) announced today.
“Gov. Palin has quickly emerged as one of the most popular and recognizable faces in the Republican Party, and we are honored to have her deliver the keynote address at the Senate-House dinner,” Cornyn said.
The dinner is one of the marquee events for the campaign committees each year, and Republicans are hoping that Palin's presence will be a huge draw.
"Gov. Palin’s conservative values, commendable achievements in Alaska and the sheer energy she personifies make her one of the most compelling visionaries of our party," Sessions said.

Funniest news about her lately is that Bristol, surprise surprise, broke up with Levi. Wow. THERE'S a shocker! I must say, aside from it being lucky for us in general McCain did NOT win the election, thus putting Failin's Palin in a position of power, it's lucky for Bristol Failin' Palin lost. Otherwise, the poor girl would have been stuck in a completely inappropriate marriage and would have been miserable...

Well, Faith and Begorra! It's That Time of Year Again!!!

2009-03-16T09:45:00.003-04:00

And it wouldn't be complete without the Muppets rendition of Danny Boy!

Shouldn't This Automatically Disqualify Coleman from Being a Senator and from Pursuing His Case Against Al Franken?

2009-03-13T09:37:00.002-04:00

From Electoral-vote.com: Former senator Norm Coleman suddenly has something new to worry about, in addition to possibly losing his election contest with Democrat Al Franken: how to fund his likely appeals. In January, his Website, where people can contribute to his legal defense fund, crashed and hackers stole the credit card numbers of his contributors. Coleman didn't tell his contributors that their credit card numbers had been exposed, which is probably a violation of state law. At the very least, this event will make it harder for him to fund appeals if he loses the election contest.
One can only hope..

Sometimes Those Germans Are Just TOO Orderly...

2009-03-13T09:34:00.003-04:00

Of course, that's what got six million Jews and five million other "various" (gays, Gypsies, etc) murdered during WWII: Math Whiz, Dead for 450 Years, Gets TV Bill
Thu Mar 12, 1:31 pm ET
BERLIN (Reuters) – A German mathematician who died 450 years ago has been sent a letter demanding that he pay long-overdue television license fees, residents at his former address said on Wednesday.
Germany's GEZ broadcast fee collection office sent the bill to the last home address of Adam Ries, an algebra expert who bought the house in 1525. A club in his honor was set up at the property four centuries later.
"We received a letter saying 'To Mr Adam Ries' on it, with the request to pay his television and radio fees," said Annegret Muench, who now heads the club.
Muench returned the letter to the GEZ with a note explaining the request had come too late because Ries had died in 1559, centuries before the invention of television and radio. She nonetheless received a reminder a few weeks later.
This was not the first time the GEZ had sent a bill to those in the afterlife. Last year, a school named after poet Friedrich Schiller received a reminder asking him to declare all radios and televisions in his home and pay the corresponding fees.

I Get the Feeling Michael Steele Is Just NOT Going to Last Very Much Longer as the Chairman of the RNC

2009-03-12T22:28:00.000-04:00

Steele choice gaffe sparks GOP revolt - POLITICO.com

It seems every time we turn around, Steele is making another mistake that is throwing the Republican Party into even MORE turmoil. Not a bad thing, mind you. I'm starting to wonder if this guy is actually a mole hired by the Democrats to completely demoralize the RNC.

Again, that wouldn't necessarily be a BAD thing... :)

Lex Luthor Asks for Bailout...

2009-03-12T15:45:00.001-04:00

"Lex Luthor Bailout" with Jon Hamm from Jon Hamm

Damn! Guy Should Have Gotten a Medal!!!

2009-03-12T15:25:00.001-04:00

Headline of the day:Iraqi Who Threw Shoes at Bush Jailed for Three Years

Blaming the Clinton in the Late 1990s for the Current Crisis, Especially the Housing Crisis, Just Doesn't Hold Water...

2009-03-12T13:27:00.000-04:00

Here's why.

Breaking News from the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC)!!!

2009-03-10T18:07:00.002-04:00

Heh heh. Boy, wouldn't THIS be embarrassing if it were true! Happy Purim, one and all!!!

BREAKING NEWS: Rush Limbaugh Converts to Judaism

It has just been reported that Rush Limbaugh wants to become a Member of the Tribe. Limbaugh announced last night that he would convert to Judaism.

In the spirit of tikkun olam, Limbaugh also proclaimed that he wanted nothing more than to see President Barack Obama succeed as the 44th President of the United States. “President Obama is the only man I know who has the ability to truly repair the world,” Limbaugh said.

"In a post-partisan gesture of good will, we welcome Mr. Limbaugh into the Jewish community," said Ira N. Forman, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC). "We applaud his support for our President and commend him for suspending his radio show on Shabbat."

JTA is reporting that Jewish Democrats are already forming lines in the street in anticipation of being able to participate in Limbaugh’s full entry into the covenant of Abraham.

HAPPY PURIM!
----
Join NJDC Online:
Website

Emor Me'At Va'Aseh Harbeh - Argument Against the Status Quo

2009-03-10T08:46:00.003-04:00

Last week, DovBear talked about an article by Rabbi Yaakov Feiman for VosIzNeias. Feitman wrote this article in response to another VosIzNeias that sang the praises of the wonderful Yoatzot Halacha program, founded by Rabbanit Henkin of Nishmat, in Jerusalem, Israel. Since its inception, the Yoatzot Halacha program has become quite popular and very international. In short, the Yoatzot Halacha program trains women (married, only) in Hilchos Niddah. A woman who has a sensitive and personal question and who is uncomfortable speaking to a [male] rabbi has the choice to call a Yoetzet Halacha and get advice from her. If the Yoetzet cannot answer the question, she refers it to a supervising rabbi. Very importantly, the Yoatzot NEVER PASKIN HALACHA. This it NOT their purview. They can advise, and they WILL refer and defer to a supervising rabbi. The benefit of this, again, is that the questioner need NOT speak to a male about a very sensitive issue.

This program is wonderful and important for many reasons. Most importantly, it allows women with niddah questions to be comfortable asking those questions rather than allow them to go unasked, thus possibly violating niddah restrictions. Many of these women would rather NOT ask a male and go about their business than discuss these issues with a man. This program is saving hundreds, at the very least, if not thousands, from transgressing some very serious Jewish law, even Torah law (as in, isurei Oraisa, rather than isurim d'Rabbanan).

Feitman, in his article, is completely ineloquent in his argument. He is emotional and illogical. DovBear made several valid points (Tzuras Hadaf, learning at a shtender, etc). Feitman also made the old and fallacious Rebbetzin argument:

There is, however, a female player in all this, who has surprisingly been left out of the process. This is the rebbetzin. For many centuries, women who preferred to speak to another woman approached a truly trusted advisor—the rabbi’s wife. She will be familiar with all the contextual facts mentioned earlier and is in the best position to transmit these details to the rav.

Except, the Rebbetzin WON'T necessarily know what she needs to know. Also, more importantly, going to the Rebbetzin takes away the anonymity, at least where the Rebbetzin is concerned. While much of the argument FOR the Yoatzot Halacha is the discomfort of a woman going to a male to discuss sensitive issues, it's just as much about the anonymity, which would include the Rebbetzin.

So, what does this have to do with the all-important "Status Quo" all the Yeshivish/Chareidi rabbis and their adherents claim is so important? Everything.

Everything because, as with any change that comes to Judaism, one within the confines of halacha (as is the case with the Yoatzot) or outside those confines, the Chareidi/Yeshivish community will rail against that change and do its best to prevent it.

The problem is, change is inevitable. Nothing, not in ancient history, and not in modern history, has ever been static. Time is fluid, and it brings those changes, and the beauty of Torah is that God knows this, and made the Torah a fluid, flexible document that allows for those changes. The problems begin happening when the changes happen but the "rabbinic authorities" want nothing to do with it and want things to remain as they had been, in their eyes, for thousands of years. Of course, this is just not true.

Change has come, and Torah allowed it, despite protestations to those changes and despite the denials that those changes have ever even taken place. Change has come geographically, economically, and technologically. Change has come educationally. And these changes always challenged AND changed the status quo.

Imagine if Sarah Schnur's idea of Bais Yaakov had been shot down. Many gedolim of the day were against it. Most prominent among them was the Chofetz Chaim. He later changed his tune, but he was initially against it. Why? Because it disrupted the status quo. And somehow, I don't think any Chareidi today would entertain the thought of closing down all the Bais Yaakov institutions and sending the girls back home to learn to sew dresses and cook.

Here are a couple you don't need to imagine: Jewish emancipation took place in the mid-18th century. Change came. Jews wanted less RABBINIC restrictions and chumrahs. More importantly, they wanted to live within the society in which they found themselves unexpectedly welcome (or, at least, more welcome than before and able to get educations and have a wider range of choices of where to live and how to make a living). The rabbis railed bitterly against this. They clamped down even harder. And you know what came of it? Reform Judaism and secular Judaism. Judaism that was anything BUT Judaism, that abandoned not only what was unnecessary, but also actual halacha and Torah life. They just chucked it all. Result: About 90%-95% of Jews are no longer Torah/halacha observant. Do I blame them? Hell, no.

Example two one needn't imagine: The rabbis had a chance to fix a big part of their screw-up with Reform Judaism. Along came the Zionists and asked rabbis like Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch, to become involved and help them create mass emigrations to Eretz Yisrael. The rabbis, led by Hirsch, said no. Why? Because they didn't want it to seem like they supported a secular movement, ignoring the chance to DE-secularize that movement to a large extent. But the change was coming! And Israel is now a mostly secular state because the rabbis would not become involved. Another result: About one hundred years later, six MILLION Jews, many of whom might NOT have been in Europe had their ancestors been afforded the chance by the leading Orthodox rabbis of 18th century Europe to become involved in Zionism and make Aliyah, were murdered. Nothing to imagine there.

What's interesting is, that despite exhortation not to deviate RIGHT or left from the Torah, the rabbis are ALWAYS happy to ADD chumrahs and make up new halacha, but would NEVER entertain the thought of getting rid of any of them (*AHEM* KITNIYOS! *AHEM*). But what are THOSE additions, if not change itself? In other words, when it's convenient for them, change is great. When it affords them greater control, it's wonderful. But when it lessens that control or maybe threatens their authority or maybe even their manhood, that's no good and it's unacceptable.

The Yoatzot Halacha program is just a natural development that is taking place at the right time. It helps so many people, men and women alike, avoid making mistakes with one of the three big sins (murder, idol worship, and Gilui Arayos - inappropriate relations - of which sleeping with a woman who is niddah is certainly one). I don't think that's such a bad thing, and it is CERTAINLY more important than learning at a shtender.

What these rabbis need to do is stop worrying so much about these changes and start embracing many of them, especially ones that are well within the purview of halachic Judaism and helps so many people avoid, well, living in sin. Perhaps if they stopped talking so much against organizations and programs like this (Emor Me'At) and instead opened their minds and hearts to some really amazing concepts, such as the Yoatzot Halacha, they'd realize the status quo isn't as wonderful as they think after all and will perhaps support these wonderful and infinitely helpful organizations (Aseh Harbeh).

Feel the Need to Apologize to Rush Limbaugh?

2009-03-05T15:50:00.000-05:00

Click!

Square Root Day

2009-03-03T21:56:00.002-05:00

It's a bit late in the day, but today is "Square Root Day" because it's 03/03/09 (get it? 3x3=9). It's funny that I was thinking that this morning while writing a check and putting the date on it. Then I found the following article: 3/3/09: Math fans to celebrate Square Root Day
Mon Mar 2, 7:32 pm ET
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Dust off the slide rules and recharge the calculators. Square Root Day is upon us.
The math-buffs' holiday, which only occurs nine times each century, falls on Tuesday — 3/3/09 (for the mathematically challenged, three is the square root of nine).
"These days are like calendar comets, you wait and wait and wait for them, then they brighten up your day — and poof — they're gone," said Ron Gordon, a Redwood City teacher who started a contest meant to get people excited about the event.
The winner gets, of course, $339 for having the biggest Square Root Day event.
Gordon's daughter even set up a Facebook page — one of a half-dozen or so dedicated to the holiday — and hundreds of people had signed up with plans to celebrate in some way. Celebrations are as varied: Some cutroot vegetables into squares, others make food in the shape of a square root symbol.
The last such day was five years ago, Feb. 2, 2004, which coincided with Groundhog Day. The next is seven years away, on April 4, 2016.

I know it's really kinda nerdy, and I'm certainly no math expert, but it's still pretty cool!

So, that said, HAPPY SQUARE ROOT DAY!!!

GASP!!! OH, NO!!! A Two-State Solution?! Why, That's UNTHINKABLE!!! Only a DEMOCRAT Would Come Up With an Idea Like THAT!!!

2009-03-03T08:53:00.002-05:00

Oh boy! There go those horrible liberal Democrats, making noise about a two-state solution in Israel.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Hillary Clinton, on her first visit to Israel as secretary of state, said on Tuesday that establishing a Palestinian state was in the best interests of the Jewish state and a two-state solution was "inescapable."
"We happen to believe that moving toward a two-state solution is in Israel's best interests," she told a news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. She also said: "It is our assessment that eventually, the inevitability of working toward a two-state solution is inescapable."

A Republican would NEVER expect something like this from Israel, right?

Wrong. Remember Bush's "Road Map to Peace?" Yeah, the one that outlined a several year process to Palestinian statehood, recognition of Israel, cessation of hostilities and peace with Israel. And it was a timeline that was supposed to be completed while BUSH, the Idiot Governor from Texas, was still in stolen office.

But, the frummies out there, all those right wing nut jobs, are simply going to conveniently forget that Republicans also call for a two state solution, including John McCain during his presidential campaign in 2008.

In fact, as I've said many times, both here and vocally, NO presidential candidate is ever really going to say anything but the following three things about Israel and the "Palestinians": There must be a two state solution, they have to live side-by-side, and they must do so in peace and security, meaning a cessation of all violence.

But, mark my words. Now, the Frummies, and probably the RZs as well, are going to condemn Hillary and the Democrats as Palestinian lovers and Israel haters, and sing the praises of the Republican (RWNJ Christian) party's love for Israel and the Jews, a love, by the way, that's completely fake and only for their own purposes.

And remember, I myself am completely against a two-state solution. For me, it goes well beyond party lines, especially in this case, where both parties actually agree that there SHOULD be a two-state solution.

Well, anyway, that's my rant of the day.

The Latest Stupid, and VERY Misleading, Anti-Obama Rant

2009-02-27T06:19:00.005-05:00

So, here's one the latest Jewish anti-Obama rants out there. I actually found out about it a few weeks ago and ignored it because it was so incredibly stupid, but it seems that, like the "Obama is a Muslim" email, this is also making the rounds: Presidential Determination No. 2009-15 of January 27, 2009

Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs Related To Gaza
Memorandum for the Secretary of State
By the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 2(c)(1) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (the ``Act''), as amended (22 U.S.C. 2601), I hereby determine, pursuant to section 2(c)(1) of the Act, that it is important to the national interest to furnish assistance under the Act in an amount not to exceed $20.3 million from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for the purpose of meeting unexpected and urgent refugee and migration needs, including by contributions to international, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations and payment of administrative expenses of Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the Department of State, related to humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees and conflict victims in Gaza.
You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
Washington, January 27, 2009
[FR Doc. E9-2488
Filed 2-3-09; 8:45 am]
Billing code 4710-10-P
See, what happens when you only read key words, such as "migration needs" and "Palestinians," one MAY make the assumption that Obama is signing a bill allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, some of them, as the email independently states, Hamas supporters, to resettle in the US.

Except this is not the case in ANY way. All this memorandum is is a bill to send aid to help ordinary Gazans to rebuild, not to allow them all the emigrate to the United States. And, it's a call for other countries to send aid as well. This is no different than any other aid coming from the US and other countries in the past.

In fact, this email HAS been debunked by FactCheck.org, a non-partisan website that looks at reports from both sides, researches them, and will confirm their veracity or falsehood. In this case, they confirmed this as a complete falsehood: February 19, 2009
Q:
Did Obama pay for Hamas-affiliated terrorists to emigrate to the United States?
Have you guys checked on this one yet?

Apparently President Hope n'Change is lying through his pearly whites about our economy being in crisis.

Our president just signed an executive order appropriating $20.3 million of your tax dollars for `migration assistance to the Palestinian refugees and conflict victims in Gaza.' It was signed on January 27th and appeared in the Federal Register on February 4th.

This is designed to allow hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza to resettle in the United States,the same people who voted Hamas into power en masse. And I'll guarantee you that a number of Hamas operatives will slip in as part of the group. The order not only provides free airplane tickets but provides for food and housing allowances, something no other immigrants get. ...

We will see more of this... because part of Obama's strategy involves pandering to the Muslim world and importing the sort of immigrants who will fundamentally change the electorate. ...

This guy is either a Muslim, or he's crazy and the 78% of American Jews who voted for him have some sort of personality disorder equating to a death wish.
A:
This claim is false. The president's memorandum to the State Department would pay for refugee assistance in Gaza, not for transporting anyone to the U.S.
This rumor stems from an article in the New Media Journal, a right-leaning site that describes itself as focused on "threats of aggressive Islamofascism and the American Fifth Column." (For the record, this site has posted other articles comparing Obama to Hitler and calling Islam "a pathological doctrine and a vestige of long ago barbarism.") The article in question claims that President Obama has signed an executive order allocating $20.3 million for refugees in Gaza, but that "few on Capitol Hill took note that the order provides a free ticket replete with housing and food allowances to individuals who have displayed their overwhelming support of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the parliamentary election of January 2006."
Obama did indeed sign a memorandum (functionally identical to an executive order) allocating $20.3 million from the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for refugees and conflict victims in Gaza.ERMA allows the president to appropriate any amount up to $100 million to meet "unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs." The money drawn down from ERMA is put to use by the State Department'sBureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. But in this case, the money would provide humanitarian aid, not migration assistance.
PRM does bring refugees from some countries to the United States, and also provides for their basic necessities when they first arrive. But a spokesperson for PRM told us that there is no resettlement program for Palestinian refugees. "We don't resettle out of the West Bank and Gaza, full stop," the spokesperson told us.
Instead, PRM contributes funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which provides humanitarian aid such as food, schooling and medical care for Palestinian refugees, primarily in Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank. In FY2008, UNRWA received about $80 million from the United States, its largest single-country donor. The State Department has announced that the bulk of the new ERMA appropriation – $13.5 million – will go to UNRWA.
The State Department requires UNRWA to certify that U.S. funds are not supplying terrorists or terrorists in training, but it is true that UNRWA has been accused of supporting and employing Hamas sympathizers. Most recently, a January 2009 report by former UNRWA legal adviser James Lindsay concluded that the agency has shown an "increasing identification with Palestinian political views," and that "UNRWA has taken very few steps to detect and eliminate terrorists from the ranks of its staff or its beneficiaries, and no steps at all to prevent members of terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, from joining its staff."
In any event, neither UNRWA nor the State Department is bringing Gaza or West Bank refugees into the United States at taxpayer expense. Nor is this the first time that a U.S. president has allotted EMRA funds for Palestinian refugees. According to the most recent report from PRM, President George W. Bush drew down emergency funds for UNRWA to the tune of $20 million in fiscal year 2002, $26 million in 2003, $40 million in 2004, $20 million in 2005 and $20 million in 2007.
-Jess Henig
Sources
Williams, Paul L. "Pres. Obama Invites Hamas Terrorists to America." The New Media Journal. 7 Feb. 2009.

Lindsay, James G. "Fixing UNRWA: Repairing the UN’s Troubled System of Aid to Palestinian Refugees." Jan. 2009.

United States Department of State Migration and Refugee Assistance. "Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fiscal Year 2009 Congressional Presentation Document." 6 Sep. 2008.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. "Programme Budget 2008-2009 Executive Summary." Jul. 2007.

Gootnick, David. "Department of State (State) and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Actions to Implement Section 301(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961." United States Government Accountability Office. 17 Nov. 2003.

(If you're having trouble reading the answer part of this (on my screen, part of the text disappeared), go to FactCheck.org.

Hmm. Funny, that. Seems the Right Wing Nut Jobs are lying again. What's really sad is I have very intelligent friends, people I've known for years, who choose to believe the lies simply because they hate Obama for his name, skin color, or liberalism (despite the fact that he does NOT have the most liberal voting record as a Senator).

Parodying the Republican "Response"

2009-02-26T10:48:00.002-05:00

This is great. Wyatt Cenac and Jon Stewart butt heads about the Jindal's idiotic Republican response to Barack Obama's State of the Union Address. And Cenac nails what we all saw.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

A New Republican Party

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Funny Political News
Joke of the Day

Jon Stewart's Take on Bobby Jindal's Republican Response to the President's State of the Union Address

2009-02-26T10:37:00.002-05:00

Was pretty much like mine, only snarkier:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Bobby Jindal's Republican Response

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Funny Political News
Joke of the Day

I love the part about the $140,000,000 to monitor volcanoes. He said Bobby said it's a waste of money. Yeah. Because averting disaster *AHEM* KATRINA *AHEM* or knowing its coming is just useless, right?

Idiot.

How Dumb Is the (Dying) Republican Party?

2009-02-25T18:09:00.003-05:00

Pretty dumb. So dumb, in fact, they didn't even LISTEN to Obama's State of the Union Address yesterday.

The main thrust of Obama's speech was, of course, the economy. His two other main themes were healthcare reform, which he said could not, must not, and WOULD NOT wait another year, and education reform. Boiled down to a few words, the President said that, while against big government, he would, with the government's help of funding, work hard WITH the American people, with our ingenuity, our resourcefulness, and our resolve never to quit, to lift this country out of the quagmire it's been in for quite a while (due, of course, to Republican bumbling over the last fourteen years).

Came along Bobby Jindal, who quite obviously did NOT listen, or at least did not pay attention, to Obama's address. He tried to out-minority Obama with stupid personal stories about how his parents, who emigrated to the US when his mother was four months pregnant with him, couldn't even afford to have him delivered. Right. Because no hospital in 1971 would have taken a woman in labor. Uh-huh. Right. Then he went on to say, essentially, the following (background from the article as well):

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, a rising star of the Republican party, on Tuesday said the answer to America's problems lay in its citizens and not in big government.

Jindal, often cited as a possible Republican presidential hopeful in 2012, gave the party's rebuttal to a speech by President Barack Obama to a joint session of Congress and accused the Democrat of spreading doom, gloom and big-spending policies that will fuel recessionary fires.

"Our troubles are real, to be sure. But don't let anyone tell you that we cannot recover -- or that America's best days are behind her," Jindal said.

"The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and enterprising spirits of our citizens," he said.

Interesting. He accused Obama of spreading gloom and doom. I don't know what speech HE watched, but the one I watched was VERY uplifting and extremely optimistic.

He indicated Obama was telling us we couldn't recover. Um. Again, not in the speech I watched. He indicated Obama said America's best days are behind her. Again, not in the speech I watched last night. Quite the opposite, in fact. Obama was VERY optimistic about this country rising up even stronger than it had ever been.

Jindal indicated America's strength was in her people, not her government, hinting that Obama said the opposite. Again, not true. Obama very directly, several times, said quite clearly that our strength as a country is us, not the government, and that the ingenuity of Americans would get us out of this, not the government.

Again, I'm not sure what speech Jindal watched, but it could not have possibly been the same one I watched.

It was, however, fun to watch yet another Republican make a fool out of himself. And the best part was this little gem:

"Republicans lost your trust -- and rightly so. Tonight, on behalf of our leaders in Congress and my fellow Republican governors, I say: Our party is determined to regain your trust."

Now THAT'S funny. What I REALLY think happened last night, was the death knell, God willing, of the Republican Party.

One can only hope...

Star Wars A Capella

2009-02-24T08:29:00.002-05:00

To some of John Williams' most memorable themes...

Here's another version:

This Is Why I LIKE Arnold Schwarzenegger...

2009-02-22T10:55:00.001-05:00

And yes. When I lived in California, I DID vote for him. His predecessor, after all, was a complete disaster, AND a Democrat...

WASHINGTON – The country's in the middle of a crisis and the president needs team players.
That's the view of a Republican governor, California's Arnold Schwarzenegger, when talking about the bipartisan support Democratic President Barack Obama needs now.
Schwarzenegger and fellow governors are in Washington this weekend for meetings. They see Obama at the White House on Monday.
Schwarzenegger says he feels strongly that Obama needs team players right now. He says governors, Congress, the White House — everyone has to play together during these tough times, rather than playing politics and making attacks.
Schwarzenegger also calls the recently signed stimulus bill a tremendous package that will help his financially ailing state.
The governor spoke on ABC's "This Week."

Aw. Those poor Republicans. They Say the Democrats Won't Play With Them...

2009-02-15T10:18:00.002-05:00

John McHypocrite got on his high horse today, complaining the Democrats and Obama aren't being bipartisan and won't play nice with the Republicans:

WASHINGTON – Sen. John McCain says President Barack Obamafailed to include Republicans in writing the big economic stimulus bill.

McCain, who lost the presidential race to Obama, says the president is backtracking on promises of bipartisanship. McCain is not happy with the process that led to passage of the stimulus bill. He calls it a bad beginning to Obama's presidency.
McCain acknowledges that Republicans excluded Democrats when the GOP held power on Capitol Hill. But he says Obama had promised to work differently.

Um, YEAH! So, while the Democrats TRIED to work with the Republicans on the stimulus, the Republicans refused to play ball or compromise in any way. The Democrats DID compromise, as they always do. Remember, the package had gone as high as $920 billion and is not a whopping $130 billion LESS. That's a lot of compromise.

Oh, and there's this Republican idiotic and totally hypocritical statement:

The Arizona Republican says the $787 billion measure will create what he calls "generational theft" — huge federal deficits for years to come.

Ok. And the $700 billion George W. Asshole "bailout," the one former treasury secretary Paulson said shouldn't have any oversight or accountability and the one that, now half-spent, no one knows where the money went? THAT bailout? If THAT'S not generational theft, WHAT THE FUCK IS?!?!

My opinion: Marginalize the Republicans, make the Democratic party stronger than it's ever been, and cause the complete failure of the party that gave us the situation we're currently experiencing. And ignore McHypocrite's advice:

McCain offers this advice: "Let's start over now and sit down together."

Why? So we can end up in this situation again when you guys try to cheat the country again and again? I think the country's done trusting you guys, Republicans. Time for you guys to just go away.

Sen. Jeff Merkley: Creating Jobs Is Not "Wasteful"

2009-02-06T13:39:00.000-05:00

Another great article about why the government creating jobs is NOT wasteful.

It's funny how Republicans are now complaining about the large amount of "democrat" spending going on. Except, what is it the REPUBLICANS did with their illegal war in Iraq and giving big businesses huge tax breaks?!

Bob Cesca: Operation Zero Cred

2009-02-06T13:36:00.000-05:00

Great article about how it's time to marginalize the Republicans, at least when it comes to the economy.

Best excerpt:

To that point, there's no debating the Republican record on the economy. Their allegiance to Reaganomics and free market deregulation have led us to the brink of, well, dogs and cats living together and mass hysteria.

Nevertheless, there they are on cable news and the Sunday shows acting as if they know something. At the same time, they've proved themselves to be dishonest, bad-fath actors in this thing. They've spread lies about fake CBO reports, while also ignoring an actual CBO report on the Senate bill indicating that it would, in fact, succeed in stimulating economic growth. They've spread lies about nonexistent ACORN line items in the bill -- line items that only exist inside of Michelle Malkin's twisted dome. I mean, they met with Joe the Plumber on the Hill this week to discuss the economy. Joe the Plumber. About the economy. Because they're very serious people who ought to be taken very seriously.

And so they should be summarily shut out of this process -- whether or not the president wants them out.

The Republicans have zero cred.

And that's the message we can unify around: ZERO CRED.

Operation Zero Cred.

Love it. So true!

I mean, seriously? They're meeting with Joe the effing PLUMBER?!?! WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?

Headline of the Day...

2009-02-06T07:47:00.002-05:00

This is the understatement of the century:

Bush Overpaid Banks in Bailout, Watchdog Says

Yeah, no shit. By about $700,000,000,000.

REPUBLICANS Complaining About Partisanship?!

2009-02-05T20:40:00.002-05:00

What, are they out of their friggin' minds? For nearly a decade and a half, while the Republicans Congress, they sidelined the Democrats. Now, the Democrats control Congress, and the Republicans are complaining about partisanship? That's just plain ridiculous. Sad thing, at least in this case, the case of the stimulus package, the Democrats ARE trying to work with the Republicans. The Republicans, however, don't see it that way:

Republicans countered that neither the president nor Democratic congressional leaders have been willing to seek common ground on the first major bill of the new administration.

"We're not having meaningful negotiations. ... It's a bad way to start," said Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who was Obama's opponent in last fall's presidential campaign.
In an Associated Press interview, he said Obama "gave the Democrats the leeway to basically shut out Republicans starting with the House and now here in the Senate, and I don't think that's good."

Funny that McCain feels the Democrats are shutting out the Republicans. Imagine how the Democrats have felt for the last fifteen years or so...

Sorry, Republicans, it's time to work WITH the Democrats now, in a fair and balanced government that wants what's best for its people, not for the wealthy and big corporations. Deal with it, work with it, and try to remember you're Americans supposedly trying to work for the greater good.

Yeah right. Like THAT'LL happen...

Happy VD!

2009-02-05T11:10:00.000-05:00

Laughed until milk came out my nose!!!

Because Common Sense Just DOESN'T Work...

2009-02-04T17:45:00.003-05:00

Obama, today, had to step in like a stern parent and place a cap of $500,000 in salary to executives of companies receiving bailout money. I guess Obama heard we, the public, didn't really like that these companies gave out twenty BILLION dollars in bonuses.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Wednesday imposed a $500,000 cap on senior executive pay for the most distressed financial institutions receiving taxpayer bailout money and promised new steps to end a system of "executives being rewarded for failure."

Obama announced the unusual government intervention into corporate America at the White House, with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner at his side. The president said the executive-pay limits are a first step, to be followed by the unveiling next week of a sweeping new framework for spending what remains of the $700 billion financial industry bailout that Congress created last year.

The pay limit comes amid a national outcry over huge bonuses to executives who head companies that seek taxpayer dollars to remain afloat. The demand for limits was reinforced by revelations that Wall Street firms paid more than $18 billion in bonuses in 2008 amid the economic downturn and the massive infusion of taxpayer dollars.

The limit would apply to top-paid executives at the most distressed financial institutions that are negotiating bailout agreements with the federal government. It also would apply to other banks that receive aid, but they could get around the limits by publicizing to shareholders plans to exceed the salary cap.

Unfortunately, I don't think the president went far enough because

The limits would not apply retroactively to any bank that received money from the first half of the $700 bailout allocated by Congress. For example, the restriction would not apply to such firms as American International Group Inc., Bank of America Corp., and Citigroup Inc., that already have received such help.

That's really a shame, because, in truth, these executives all, without exception, should have been fired, or asked to leave their positions, or, better yet, them being fired should have been a condition of receiving bailout money.

On the OTHER hand, Obama and his administration are placing a whole slew of new restrictions on companies:

Other new requirements on "exceptional assistance" will include:

_The expansion to 20, from five, the number of executives who would face reduced bonuses and incentives if they are found to have knowingly provided inaccurate information related to company financial statements or performance measurements.

_An increase in the ban on golden parachutes from a firm's top five senior executives to its top 10. The next 25 would be prohibited from golden parachutes that exceed one year's compensation.

_A requirement that boards of directors adopt policies on spending such as corporate jets, renovations and entertainment.

The administration also will propose long-term compensation restrictions even for companies that don't receive government assistance, Obama said.

Those proposals include:

• Requiring top executives at financial institutions to hold stock for several years before they can cash out.

• Requiring nonbinding "say on pay" resolutions — that is, giving shareholders more say on executive compensation.

• A Treasury-sponsored conference on a long-term overhaul of executive compensation

Compensation experts in the private sector have warned that intrusions into the internal decisions of financial institutions could discourage participation in the rescue program and slow down the financial sector's recovery. They also argue that it could set a precedent for government regulation that undermines performance-based pay.

"One of the big questions is whether it will make it more difficult to recruit and retain executives at these companies," said Claudia Allen, chair of corporate governance at the Chicago-based law firm of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg.

The $500,000 cap "is a very tight limit," she said.

Timothy J. Bartl, vice president and general counsel for the Center On Executive Compensation, said the president's actions are a unique situation given the government's role bailing out troubled institutions.

"We do not view it as something that ought to be extended beyond this circumstance," he said.

On Capitol Hill, some lawmakers had been pushing for even stricter caps.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., have proposed that no employee of an institution that receives money under the $700 billion federal bailout can receive more than $400,000 in total compensation until it pays the money back. The figure is equivalent to the salary of the president of the United States.

Even some Republicans, angered by company decisions to pay bonuses and buy airplanes while receiving government help, have few qualms about restrictions.
"In ordinary situations where the taxpayers' money is not involved, we shouldn't set executive pay," said Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee.

"But where you've got federal money involved, taxpayers' money involved, TARP money involved, and the way they have spent it, with no accountability, is getting close to being criminal."

And the companies and their officials are just not happy.

Oh, well. Tough shit. Neither are we, the taxpayers, from whom you've stolen so much.

Banks - We All HATE Them!!!

2009-02-04T13:38:00.003-05:00

And why? Because when they went to government crying they needed a bailout for fucking up the economy, they went and wasted tons of that money. AIG employees went to spas. Wells Fargo arranged a Vegas getaway (later cancelled, but supposedly they still have to pay), and PNC bought itself another bank with 3/4 of the bailout money they received.

In other words the banks are really pissing off the taxpayers, and the lawmakers in Congress are starting to feel the pinch:

Even lawmakers who helped craft the bailout have been frustrated that some bank executives were taking big bonuses and scheduling junkets. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said banks "have to understand they live in a new world and the old ways of doing business aren't acceptable."

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., said banks were acting "stupid" and making it harder for lawmakers to defend them.

"People really hate you," he said, imploring banks to do everything possible to avoid offending people. "And they're starting to hate us just for hanging out with you."

Gee, Barney, ya THINK? We're pissed at the banks? REALLY?! How the hell did you guess?

Protectionism? You BET!

2009-02-03T13:34:00.003-05:00

Top EU diplomat to Washington, John Bruton, today warned that the protectionism clause in the stimulus package before the Senate, which states funds in the package may not be used for any project

unless all of the iron, steel and manufactured goods used in the projects are produced in the United States,

would cause worldwide economic problems and make the world economy even worse than it already is.

I'm sorry, but along with the banking screw-ups of the last eight years, "free world trade" and the outsourcing of millions of jobs to other countries is the single other cause of the depression the AMERICAN economy and people are currently experiencing. Therefore, protectionism should ABSOLUTELY be included in the stimulus package, which is aimed at creating jobs IN America FOR AMERICANS. It stands to follow, therefore, that demanding any materials used in a project funded by the stimulus should most certainly be manufactured in the United States. After all, using American made materials and resources will only serve to boost the AMERICAN economy.

It's about time the United States started protecting its citizens and its own economy, and not worry about the economies of other countries.

Back to Israel

2009-02-03T11:49:00.002-05:00

I'm thinking maybe I'll move a bit of the focus of this blog to Israel and the injustice the media and the world does our homeland on a regular basis. Also, I've been thinking quite a bit about home of late. In fact, I had a dream last week in which I was visiting Israel and was crying in the dream about not living there. I awoke from the dream in actual tears. Unfortunately, Aliyah is not currently an option, but who knows? Perhaps someday, maybe sooner than later, we'll get to make that leap.

In any case, I read this fascinating article from HonestReporting, a media watchdog that monitors for anti-Israel reporting in the media. If I'm not mistaken, they're the ones who broke the story that the Jenin "Massacre" was, in fact, anything BUT a massacre. You can read about the Jenin "Massacre" of 2002 here, here, and here. In any case, it seems, despite media claims and those made by the UN, Israel did NOT bomb, accidentally or otherwise, the UNRWA school in Gaza. But, as usual, the UN and the media jumped the gun and blasted and condemned Israel for attacks on civilian locations.

Did Israel Shell a UN School? The Truth Exposed
Canada's Globe & Mail finds out what really happened.

In war, the saying goes, "the first victim is the truth." But an in-depth investigative report by the Canadian Globe and Mail's Middle East correspondent, Patrick Martin proved to be the exception to the rule.
Martin’s front-page report investigated the Israeli shelling of Hamas terrorists near a UN school that led to the tragic deaths of 43 civilians. His conclusion: the facts don't support the accepted story that the school itself was shelled.
According to Martin:
Physical evidence and interviews with several eyewitnesses, including a teacher who was in the schoolyard at the time of the shelling, make it clear: While a few people were injured from shrapnel landing inside the white-and-blue-walled UNRWA compound, no one in the compound was killed. The 43 people who died in the incident were all outside, on the street, where all three mortar shells landed.
Stories of one or more shells landing inside the schoolyard were inaccurate.
While the killing of 43 civilians on the street may itself be grounds for investigation, it falls short of the act of shooting into a schoolyard crowded with refuge-seekers.
Martin's report confirms the underreported Israeli accounts that the IDF accurately returned fire to the location from which it was being shelled by Hamas terrorists.

Some of Martin's key findings include:
There were no dead in the UN school, only some injured according to physical evidence and interviews with several eyewitnesses
Three Israeli mortar shells landed outside the school's compound, not inside
Incorrect public pronouncements by the UN helped allow "the misconception to linger"
The fact that people were milling around the area where Hamas was firing rockets is not Israel's fault, but rather points out that Hamas fired from an area frequented by civilians, engaging in what former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls a double war crime: "Attacking [Israeli] civilians and hiding behind [Palestinian] civilians."
At the time, however, John Ging, UNRWA's operations director in Gaza, condemned the attack as "horrific" and suggested Israel knew it was targeting a UN facility.
"We have provided the GPS co-ordinates of every single one of our locations," he told the BBC. "They are clearly marked with UN insignia, flags flying, lights shining on the flags at night. It's very clear that these are United Nations installations."
Later, in the Globe and Mail investigation, Ging:
acknowledged in an interview this week that all three Israeli mortar shells landed outside the school and that "no one was killed in the school."
"I told the Israelis that none of the shells landed in the school," he said.
Political impact
We are often asked if media reports such as the Globe & Mail's or even our own can have an impact. The answer is an unequivocal yes. Already, one European Member of Parliament, Paul van Buitenen has submitted a parliamentary question based on the Globe & Mail's investigation. The MEP points out that UNRWA's John Ging admits in the article that Israel didn't attack the school but blames the confusion on the Israelis.
Van Buitenen goes on to say that considering the fact that the EU is UNRWA's single largest donor and that it wrongly condemned Israel for attacking the UN school:
Is the EU prepared to apologize to Israel for wrongly condemning it without checking the facts on the ground?
Is the EU prepared to investigate how it was possible that Mr. Ging apparently spread misleading information concerning the supposed attack on this UNRWA school and whether this was politically motivated?
We commend the Globe and Mail for its investigative report and Mr. van Buitenen for his follow-up in the European Parliament. Please commend reporter Martin and the Globe and Mail for helping let the truth emerge about the shelling near the UN school. Please send letters to the Globe and Mail at: letters@globeandmail.com
Also write to your local media outlet if it was responsible for publishing the original allegations.
This communique was adapted from HonestReporting Canada. Click on the image below to find out more and subscribe.

Phil!!!

2009-02-02T09:04:00.001-05:00

Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow!!! Six more weeks of winter! Because, you know, it WOULDN'T continue if he HADN'T seen his shadow, right?

Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow, winter to continue
AP – Ben Hughes, handler of the weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, holds Phil in the air after …
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. – The world's most famous groundhog saw his shadow Monday morning, predicting this already long winter will last for six more weeks.
Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn in front of an estimated 13,000 witnesses, many dressed in black-and-gold to celebrate thePittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl victory the night before.
"There's significant buzz from the Steelers win and quite a few Terrible Towels floating from the crowd," said Mickey Rowley, deputy secretary for tourism in Pennsylvania.
The annual ritual takes place on Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney, a borough of about 6,100 residents some 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club announced the forecast in a short proclamation, in which Phil acknowledged the Steelers' 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
According to German superstition, if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early.
Since 1887, Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, hasn't seen it 15 times, and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
Rowley said the Groundhog Day festivities is Pennsylvania's largest tourist gathering in the winter. And if Phil's forecast proves correct it should bring even more tourists to the state.
"It's six more weeks of skiing," Rowley said.

Republicans Elect Steele as First Black Chairman

2009-01-30T16:33:00.000-05:00

Republicans elect Steele as first black chairman.

Well. Welcome to the 21st century. Interestingly, this man is not even an RNC member. Wonder how THAT works?

Iraqi Shoe Hurler Inspires Art in Saddam Hometown

2009-01-30T16:29:00.000-05:00

If I'd been drinking something when I read this, whatever it was I might have been drinking would have ended up all over my computer and keyboard!

Iraqi Shoe Hurler Inspires Art in Saddam Hometown

Iraqi Shoe Hurler Inspires Art in Saddam Hometown

Where You Won't Shop In 2009 - Forbes.com

2009-01-23T08:08:00.000-05:00

I found this very revealing, very to the point article at Forbes. It predicts the closing of many stores of many chains, and the possible complete bankruptcy of some. Where You Won't Shop In 2009 - Forbes.com

The last paragraph is the most fascinating, because, as surprisingly as that may seem to some, I AGREE with it:

[Howard] Davidowitz, [chairman of New York-based retail consultant and investment bank Davidowitz and Associates], doesn't think a huge government stimulus will help. Better to let things bottom out naturally before regrouping. "Obama's plan will make it worse," he says. "We got into this by borrowing and stimulating, now he wants to borrow and stimulate more."

I couldn't agree more. I'm no expert, but I think this idea of "stimulating" and "bailing out" has fallen flat on its face, as I predicted in many earlier posts. It's just not helping. It's time for the government to either stop being Socialist for the wealthy but Capitalist for the rest of us. These bailouts are an incredibly bad idea, have been from the start, and will continue to be until the end. It's one thing I with which I STRONGLY disagree with President Obama, just as strongly as I disagreed with this bailout business with Governor Bush.

Explanation of Hell

2009-01-22T22:44:00.001-05:00

Sent by a friend, and, true or not (frankly, who cares?), it's HILARIOUS!!!

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid term.

The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well :

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.


Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell,then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Marilyn during my Freshman year that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Marilyn kept shouting "Oh my God."

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.