Entries from October 2006
October 31, 2006
The Democratic Party
...would be wise to muzzle this guy. He comes across as a complete blowhard and is a serious liability.
And I do not say that lightly.
What's Halloween Without...
...sound effects?
Update: Had to delete the screams. They were not loading properly for me and were messing up the works.
Project Valour-it, a Good Cause
Thanks to Karen of Thoughts of Seawitch blog, I have been made aware of a worthy fund raising effort on behalf of wounded servicemen and women of the United States.
Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, provides voice-controlled laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at home or in military hospitals. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse.
Bloggers have teamed up to drum up support for the project, and are having a friendly competition. I have joined team Navy, in honor of my father's service (non-combat - he was a hospital nurse) during WW2 and the Korean War.
Note the information box in the menu column on your right. It shows how much has been donated, and how much more is needed. If you were wondering how you personally could help our brave servicemen and women who sacrifice so much for our benefit, this is a great way to do it.
Navy's losing. Give!
"May no soldier go unloved"
Navy Team Members
Jew From New York?
I just got a Zabar's catalog in the mail, and nu, they have a web site.
Man oh man, I miss real live NY Jew food. Interested in trying the real thing? Order up something from Zabar's.
I now know exactly what to get my parents (zol zein gezunt biz hudert un tzvantzig*)for Chanukah - a basketful of bagels, lox, scallion cream cheese, whitefish, smoked sable, kippered salmon, chocolate babka, black and whites, rugelach, Fox's U-Bet syrup, salami, pastrami, and a bissel Zabar's cawfee.
M&D, who moved down to Virginia 12 years ago to be closer to the grandkids and who miss NY Jew food too, are going to love it. Not much I can get them these days. Not much that they need. This will make them happy.
*They should live and be well to 120.
October 30, 2006
Gimme Your Stuff
Welcome to Gimme Your Stuff, the cultural exchange blog where you can swap items of significance to your area with items from others around the world. A conduit for many an international cuisine to change hands. A place where you can trade a newspaper from South Africa, or a CD from Finland. A place where we take no responsibility for anything anyone else does. A place where we are Changing the world with other people’s stuff.
Beheadings Continue
By sword (wonder if they use a genuine 7th century model?) and in public of course:
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia on Sunday beheaded two foreign nationals on charges they smuggled heroin and cocaine into the country, the Interior Ministry said.
Adam bin Mohammed Ali Hussein, of Nigeria, was convicted of swallowing lumps of cocaine in plastic bags and smuggling them into Saudi Arabia, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Mahmoud Haji Shadi, an Afghan, was convicted of smuggling heroin.
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery can be executed.
Their execution in the capital brought to 18 the number of people beheaded in the kingdom this year. Saudi executions are performed with a sword and in public as a deterrent.
The kingdom beheaded 83 people in 2005 and 35 people in 2004.
Such a lovely people. So merciful. Forgiving. And inspiring. Makes me want to put a bag over myself and move there. It's so nice to know that they have a drug-free environment.
Haveil Havalim #91
Check out the latest edition of Haveil Havalim - the carnival of posts on Jewish and Israeli issues at the Sweet Rose blog. You will find good reading on a wide variety of Jewish issues. Highly recommended!
Actually, I Prefer Black Calamata Olives.
| You Are Olive Green |
 For you, authenticity and honesty are very important... both in others and yourself. You are grounded and secure. It takes a lot to shake you. People see you as dependable, probably the most dependable person they know. |
Via Shirl
Crossing the Rubicon, Origin and Meaning
This is a very old post which has drawn hundreds of readers/students/researchers from around the world since I first posted it on Crossing the Rubicon1 about 3 years ago. I like to think of the post as a public service and I also very much enjoy the traffic it provides.
Please - if any of the links are dead, let me know in the comments. When I have time, I am sure the post could use a good overhaul/rewrite. In the meantime, I can see by my statcounter that people are still trying to find it, so here you are:
Short version first - From the depths of erudition (a volume entitled "The Instant Intellectual" written by Norah Vincent and Chad Conway) comes the following explanation. It is short and to the point and allows one to become familiar without making a great commitment:
To cross the point of no return. To take decisive action from which there is no turning back. The Rubicon is a river in northern Italy that formed the border between the ancient Roman republic and neighboring Gaul. In 49 B.C., Julius Caesar began the ill-fated civil war against Pompey.
A more in depth look:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Rubicon (Rubico) is an ancient Latin name for a small river in northern Italy. In Roman times it flowed into the Adriatic Sea between Ariminum and Caesena. The actual modern identity of the water-course is uncertain, it is usually identified as the Pisciatello in its upper reaches and then the Fiumicino to the sea.
The river is notable as Roman law forbade any general from crossing it with a standing army. The river was considered to mark the boundary between the Roman province of Cisalpine Gaul and the Roman heartland, the law thus protected the republic from internal military threat.
When Julius Caesar crossed the river in 49 BCE, supposedly on January 10, in pursuit of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus he broke that law and made armed conflict inevitable. According to Suetonius he uttered the famous phrase 'the die is cast' [1]. Suetonius also described how Caesar was apparently still undecided as he approached the river, and the author gave credit for the actual moment of crossing to a supernatural apparition.
The phrase "crossing the Rubicon" has survived to refer to any person committing themselves irrevocably to a risky course of action.
From ibis.com:
The crossing of a small stream in northern Italy became one of ancient history's most pivotal events. From it sprang the Roman Empire and the genesis of modern European culture.
Born with unbridled political ambition and unsurpassed oratory skills, Julius Caesar manipulated his way to the position of consul of Rome in 59 BC. After his year of service he was named governor of Gaul where he amassed a personal fortune and exhibited his outstanding military skill in subduing the native Celtic and Germanic tribes. Caesar's popularity with the people soared, presenting a threat to the power of the Senate and to Pompey, who held power in Rome. Accordingly, the Senate called upon Caesar to resign his command and disband his army or risk being declared an "Enemy of the State". Pompey was entrusted with enforcing this edict - the foundation for civil war was laid.
It was January 49 BC, Caesar was staying in the northern Italian city of Ravenna and he had a decision to make. Either he acquiesced to the Senate's command or he moved southward to confront Pompey and plunge the Roman Republic into a bloody civil war. An ancient Roman law forbade any general from crossing the Rubicon River and entering Italy proper with a standing army. To do so was treason. This tiny stream would reveal Caesar's intentions and mark the point of no return....
There is more. Click on site above.
From Suetonius' The Deified Julius:
Now when Caesar had over taken his cohorts as the river Rubicon, which was the utmost boundary of his province, he rested for a while; then, considering how great an enterprise he was undertaking, turned to those who stood next to him and said, "As yet, friends, we are able to turn back; but once we pass over this little bridge, there will be no business but by the force of arms and dint of sword."
As he stood still and full of doubt, he happened to see something very strange. All of a sudden there appeared to him a certain man of extraordinary stature and shape, sitting close by and piping on a reed. Now when, besides the shepherds and herdsmen, many soldiers rushed over to hear him, among them the trumpeters, he snatched from one a trumpet, leapt forth to the river, and, beginning with a mighty blast to sound the battle, forged ahead to the other bank. Caesar then spoke: Let us march on, and go wherever the tokens of the gods and the provocations of our enemies call us. The die is cast."
Here are a few more links:
Classics Unveiled Everything you ever wanted to know about ancient Rome but were afraid to ask. Timeline, more links, from rise of Rome in 755 B.C. to fall, 476 A.D.
Ancient Worlds A discussion board. Very detailed. Very intense. I'm no expert, but I think these folks might be.
The Julius Caesar Site Shakespeare, links and student projects from Tufts University.
Julius Caesar's Blog Great Caesar's ghost! Direct to you from the "Now I've seen everything" files. There's even a link to a site if you'd like to "Support our troops" fighting in Gaul.
Forum Romanum A collaborative history project run by a gentleman from Harvard. Lots of depth and detail regarding the Roman Empire - contents include books from the early 1900s.
Illustrated History of the Roman Empire You'll have to do some digging on this site to find the reference to Caesar and the Rubicon, but it is there, along with detailed timelines, interractive maps and illustrations.
Information Please A concise biography of Caesar.
Addendum: I recently found an additional link. This site, eyewitnesstohistory.com, has a lot of interesting historical information on ancient Rome.
Numerous Reports of Problems in France
I've been reading signs of concern for weeks:
France Sends Riot Police to Marseille - Michel Allione
France's interior minister sent riot police to patrol the southern port city of Marseille on Sunday after a group of marauding teenagers torched a bus, gravely burning a young woman. Though youths have burned other buses during the flare-up of violence, passengers have generally escaped before the vehicles went up in flames. Another bus was burned Saturday in Trappes, outside Paris, but its passengers fled unharmed, police said. Youths set fire to about 200 vehicles Saturday, police said. But even on ordinary nights, the number of cars burned often reaches 100. (AP/Yahoo)
See also Two Buses Torched in Paris Suburb Friday - Elaine Ganley (AP/Yahoo)
Good News
This is nice to read:
On Israeli Border, a Surprising Optimism - Matti Friedman
For years, whenever Asher Greenberg left his home in the frontier town of Metulla to work in the orchards along the Lebanon border, he took his M-16 rifle in case Hizballah attacked. Since the war ended in August, Greenberg's rifle hasn't left his closet once. At Zarit, a nearby farming village, farmers are beginning to return to orchards they abandoned during the years when Hizballah controlled the Lebanese side of the line. More than two months after the war, many of those Israelis who live closest to Lebanon say it altered their lives dramatically for the better. "The war erased a threat we lived with for years,'' Greenberg said. "We aren't afraid of snipers or kidnappings anymore. We can breathe.''
The army sometimes has to deal with Hizballah supporters throwing stones over the fence at soldiers, but Lt. Col. Ishai Efroni, a senior army officer in an Israeli border unit, said he only has to call a UN liaison officer and "within half an hour'' UN or Lebanese troops arrive. (AP/Washington Post)
Happy Birthday, Mr. Ahmadinejad
Suggestions for Mahmoud from Israel on celebrating his 50th:
Based on the Gregorian calendar, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is celebrating his 50th birthday Saturday. The president, notorious in Israel for his cries for its annihilation, is receiving attention this time from an unusual source.
In it's latest campaign, the 'Bhappy' organization, whose mission is to increase happiness in Israel through humor, is sending suggestions to Ahmadinejad of how to celebrate his birthday and how to relax, in general.
"We wanted to see what the average citizen can do and how it can affect us, help us not be scared all of the time," said co-founder Ofer Shitrit, describing the organization's approach.
"Everyone thinks that (Ahmadinejad) is hyperactive, in a negative way, so let's suggest ways to solve this," he said. "The objective is to view a different angle of life. Even Avigdor Lieberman is welcome to offer suggestions."
The project –coined 'Chilling out Ahmadinejad' – calls on the Israeli public to send e-mails to the Iranian president via his blog , with relaxation suggestions.
For example, organization spokesperson Tali Baruch suggested "therapeutic treatment with (well-known Israeli psychologist) Varda Raziel Jacont, a pastoral vacation in Rafah, a relaxing walk along the Philadelphi Route, and more."
Perhaps the best way to help him celebrate would be something along the lines of this:
Filling the Empty Chair
Did you ever notice that the further people are from truth, the more they consider someone who turns away from evil to be a fool?
When there is no truth in the world, anyone who wants to turn away from evil has no choice but to play the fool.
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Most people think of forgetfulness as a defect. I consider it a great benefit.
Being able to forget frees you from the burden of the past.
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If you believe that you can damage, then believe that you can fix.
If you believe that you can harm, then believe that you can heal.
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Everything in the world - - whatever is and whatever happens - - is a test, designed to give you freedom of choice. Choose wisely.
There's nothing mysterious about free will. You do what you want to do, and you don't do what you don't want to do.
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October 29, 2006
Aged 18, I came to Terezin in February 1943, number CV 306. Before that, I had been retained in Prague by 'treuhandstelle' - a Nazi front company for the organised robbery of Jewish house-holds - to repair furniture, pianos and other stolen objects. In the winter of 1943, I was sent with 247 men from Terezin to an 'aussenarbeitskommando' near Wulkow, about 100 km east of Berlin, for building work. As the front grew closer, the group was transported back to Terezin for the last months of the war.
The conditions in the ghetto are well known and documented. What deserves further study is the story of the cultural, intellectual and artistic life which existed there, in spite of the population being constantly in transit.
Through Terezin passed top scientists, artists, architects, composers, writers, poets from many parts of Nazi-conquered Europe. In the dust-laden lofts of the barracks, one could hear lectures ranging from the script of Sumer (Professor Woskin-Nahartabi), to the history of art (Gustav Schwarzkopf), to language courses of French, Hebrew and Spanish. There was chamber music, choir and opera (Gideon Klein, Rafael Schachter, Karel Ancerl), the first performance of the children’s opera ‘Brundibar’ (Hans Krasa, Frantisek Zelenka),even a satirical cabaret (Svenk). Among the painters were Ungar, Fritta, Petr Kien, Leo Haas, Karel Fleischmann, and among the writers Norbert Fryd and Karel Polacek.
Few of these survived. But the beauty of their work, and the fact that they were able to carry it out at all, should never be forgotten.
October 27, 2006
Eshet Chayil
Jewish tradition on Shabbat:
A Woman of Valor, called Eshet Chayil in Hebrew, is a hymn which is customarily recited on Friday evenings, after returning from synagogue and singing "Shalom Aleichem" and before sitting down to the Shabbat evening meal.
Eshet Chayil is a twenty-two verse poem with which King Solomon concludes the book of Proverbs. The poem has an acrostic arrangement in which the verses begin with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in regular order. The poem describes the woman of valor as one who are is energetic, righteous, and capable.
According to Aggadic Midrashim (interpretation of the non-legal portions of the Hebrew Bible), the poem was originally composed by Abraham as a eulogy for his wife Sarah.
According to Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, the poem is a reference to the Shabbat Queen, the spiritual soul-mate of the Jewish nation.
According to commentators, the poem is allegorical.A Woman of Valor has been interpreted as a reference to the Shechinah (I love that word), the Shabbat, the Torah, wisdom, and the soul. Using Jewish women as the vehicle through which to describe these spiritual manifestations is a tribute to her.
It has become a Jewish custom for men to recite this hymn at the end of the week, and thus to think about and be thankful for all his wife has done for him and their family throughout the past week.Eshet chayil mi yimtza v'rachok mip'ninim michrah
An accomplished woman, who can find? Her value is far beyond pearls.
Batach bah lev ba'lah v'shalal lo yechsar
Her husband's heart relies on her and he shall lack no fortune.
G'malathu tov v'lo ra kol y'mei chayeiha
She does him good and not evil, all the days of her life.
Darshah tzemer ufishtim vata'as b'chefetz kapeiha
She seeks wool and flax, and works with her hands willingly.
Haitah ko'oniyot socher mimerchak tavi lachmah
She is like the merchant ships, she brings her bread from afar.
Vatakom b'od lailah vatiten teref l'vetah v'chok l'na'aroteiha
She arises while it is still night, and gives food to her household and a portion to her maidservants.
Zam'mah sadeh vatikachehu mip'ri chapeiha nat'ah karem
She plans for a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
Chagrah v'oz motneiha vat'ametz zro'oteiha
She girds her loins in strength, and makes her arms strong.
Ta'amah ki tov sachrah lo yichbeh balailah nerah
She knows that her merchandise is good. Her candle does not go out at night.
Yadeha shilchah vakishor v'chapeiha tamchu felech
She sets her hands to the distaff, and holds the spindle in her hands.
Kapah parsah le'ani v'yadeiha shil'chah la'evyon
She extends her hands to the poor, and reaches out her hand to the needy.
Lo tira l'vetah mishaleg ki chol betah lavush shanim
She fears not for her household because of snow, because her whole household is warmly dressed.
Marvadim astah lah shesh v'argaman l'vushah
She makes covers for herself, her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Noda bash'arim ba'lah b'shivto im ziknei aretz
Her husband is known at the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.
Sadin astah vatimkor vachagor natnah lak'na'ani
She makes a cloak and sells it, and she delivers aprons to the merchant.
Oz v'hadar l'vushah vatischak l'yom acharon
Strength and honor are her clothing, she smiles at the future.
Piha patchah v'chochma v'torat chesed al l'shonah
She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the lesson of kindness is on her tongue.
Tzofi'ah halichot betah v'lechem atzlut lo tochel
She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Kamu vaneha vay'ash'ruha ba'lah vay'hal'lah
Her children rise and praise her, her husband lauds her.
Rabot banot asu chayil v'at alit al kulanah
Many women have done worthily, but you surpass them all.
Sheker hachen v'hevel hayofi ishah yir'at Hashem hi tit'halal
Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears God shall be praised.
T'nu lah mip'ri yadeiha vihal'luha vash'arim ma'aseha
Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
Listen (The article is interesting to read - to listen to the music, scroll down)
Neshama Carlebach's version - arguably one of the most beautiful songs sung by one of the most beautiful voices ever. I played it for my Hebrew school students last week and they thought it was too sad. Maybe I like sad music.
Ah, Virginia
A beautifully calm state of many trees. Part sleepy farm community, naval base, beach resort, mother of Presidents, land of US history and tradition, seat of Democracy.
And part cosmopolitan community, whose population comes from every corner of the earth (many first generation Americans live in Northern VA, and many transplants from other areas of the country. The local joke is, no one actually comes from Northern VA because it's almost rare to find people who have been born and raised here) part military/US government bedroom community.
Virginia is a down-to-earth, rational land of well cared for roads, cutting-edge public and private education, great shopping, and high income. The drivers are so polite that there are many places during rush hour where one can see voluntary alternative cars receiving the right of way - you go, I go, you go, I go. Every car, bar none, allows someone ahead of them when it is obvious that if turns are not allowed, 1/2 the people will sit there forever. This is not enforced by any law other than that of manners and politeness.
To what do the sane, good citizens of Virginia owe the current headache/political campaign?
Behind door number one, we have George "Macaca-crypto-Jew-by-choice" Allen. Don't want to claim your Jewishness, eh? Okey-dokey, guy. (traitor/bigot)
Behind door number two, Jim Webb, a Democrat whose writing reveals a little too much about his inner workings for the comfort of this Virginian. Not only that, he's a member of a party whose candidates I refuse to vote for until they explicity outline their concrete ideas and plans for the future of this country.(pornographer/[information not available])
Traitor/bigot vs pornographer/[information not available].
Who would YOU choose?
I am choosing to stay home.
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Virginia Photo Gallery
Virginia Beach
Blue Ridge Mountains
Old Town, Alexandria
Boars Head Inn
Chesapeake Bay Bridge
Blue Ridge Mountains
More Blue Ridge
Tyson's Corner Center
I love the mountains
Arlington Cemetary
Autumn in Virginia
Iwo Jima Memorial
Another view of Old Town
The Potomac River
Great Falls: Great Falls Park, a site that is part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, is an 800 acre park located along the Potomac River 14 miles upriver from Washington D.C. The park is known for two things, its scenic beauty at the head of Potomac River fall line and the historic Patowmack Canal.
The Pentagon
Aerial shot, Virginia Beach
Williamsburg
A southern Virginia sunset
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To replace the old "Virginia is for Lovers," a suggested new state slogan:
VIRGINIA DESERVES BETTER
October 26, 2006
Uncovered Women = Abandoned Meat UPDATED
Lovely analogy. This Muslim cleric accuses women of being responsible for rape:
Women who do not cover up are similar to abandoned "meat" making them responsible for sexual attacks, a senior Islamic cleric has said.
Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali has outraged female Muslim leaders with comments he made during a Ramadan sermon to 500 worshippers in Sydney last month, News Limited newspapers report.
"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?" the sheik asked.
"The uncovered meat is the problem."
"If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab (islamic headdress), no problem would have occurred."
He also alluded to the Sydney rapes in 2000 where four women were separately gang-raped by a group of young Muslim men, including Bilal Skaf, who originally received a 55-year sentence, later reduced.
He said there were women who "sway suggestively" and wore make-up and inappropriate clothes, "and then you get a judge without mercy (rahma) and gives you 65 years," News Limited reports.
The Sheik went on to say women were "weapons" used by "Satan" to control men and when it comes to adultery the responsibility falls on the woman 90 per cent of the time.
Hmmm....extrapolating this analogy, where do we end up?
Unlocked airplanes filled with innocents are like setting out the candy dish in front of a toddler and saying, "Don't touch!"
Sky scrapers might as well be wearing beckoning signs: Hit me!
American multicultural lefties filled with good will are crying out to be used like a roll of toilet paper.
Q: What's the difference between human beings and animals?
A: Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali sees no difference.
Some of us might answer that humans have a sense of personal responsibility, the knowledge of right and wrong, and internally generated self-control.
Are we all children raised in the wild without manners or scruples?
Is our highest aspiration to sulkily blame others for our own wrongdoing?
To force women into bags because men are like cats?
The men I know are not like cats, and the women don't wear bags, and people are held personally responsible for their wrongdoing. We have a way of dealing with things that's worked well for us for quite a long time. It's called "Western values and morality."
The nice thing about Western values is that not only do they protect the innocent, but they actually promote creativity, progress, financial success and a well-oiled societal machine.
Middle Eastern societies are not free, are unsuccessful, uncreative, rely upon our progress and technology and cause friction which scrapes against every other society with which they come in contact.
Ok, maybe one exception.
Update: Seems that a lot of people are talking about this. Via Memeorandum:
Richard Shears / Daily Mail:
Outrage as Muslim cleric likens women to 'uncovered meat' — A Muslim cleric's claim that women who do not wear the veil are like 'uncovered meat' who attract sexual predators sparked outrage around Australia yesterday. — Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali, the nation's most senior Muslim cleric …Discussion: The Australian, this blog is full of crap, Slog, Ace of Spades HQ, One Hand Clapping, Nitpicker, Dinocrat and Andrew SullivanDiscussion:
October 25, 2006
Surprisingly, Annoyingly Addictive
A game where you drag and drop states into their proper place on the map. Harder than it seems, because if you are off by even 1/4 inch...d'oh.
Why did I think Massachusetts was bigger than it was? I always picture it to be the size of Pennsylvania.
Jacek Yerka...
...picking up where Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte left off.
From Wikipedia:
Jacek Yerka is a Polish artist born in 1952. Yerka's work can be witnessed though Mind Fields, in which Harlan Ellison has provided narration for each of Yerka's selected pieces.
Painter Jacek Yerka was born in a Toruń, city in Northern Poland in the early 1950s. His developing years were spent playing amidst the wonderfully preserved gothic architecture of medieval Europe, as his hometown was spared much of the bombing that beset Poland during the war. It is this environment of reddish brown brickwork that immediately calls to mind the works of Bosch and Brueghel, whose palette Yerka shares.
Yerka studied art at University, before rebelling against the trend to paint with less attention to realism and detail. Instead, he found his education studying the works of the Northern European masters like the Van Eycks, Dierck Bouts, Robert Campin, Bosch, and surrealists such as Magritte.
"I did my first painting of my life a year before going to college, where I began studying graphics. My instructors always tried to get me to paint in the more contemporary abstract style, and move away from my fascination with realism. I saw this as an attempt to stifle my own creative style and steadfastly refused to fall in line. Eventually, my teachers relented."
Yerka's carefully rendered paintings (acrylics on canvas) are filled with images from the artist's childhood, one heavily influenced by the surroundings of his home during the 1950's, and his grandmother's kitchen, wherein he spent much of his time. Odd little beasts, and wonderfully whimsical landscapes are the hallmarks of Yerka's delightful works[1].
"For me, the 1950's were a kind of Golden Age. These were the happy years of my childhood, filled with wonder at the world around me. It is reflected throughout my work in buildings, furniture, and various pre-war knickknacks. If I were, for instance, to paint a computer, it would definitely have a pre-war aesthetic to it."
Jacek Yerka's work has been exhibited in Poland, Germany, Monaco, France, and the United States. His works also hang in Polish art museums.
"Yerka's art brims with echoes of the famous surreal artists of the past, Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Brueghel to Salvador Dalí and René Magritte."
Very, very nice. Definitely worth a look.
Women, Know Your Limits
Good, bad or indifferent, this made me laugh:
DriveSync For Teens
I'd love to see a law requiring that teens only be allowed to drive in cars with this installed. There are so many tragic accidents involving teenage drivers in my area. I will never forget learning about the death of one of my former students. Driving on his own in the afternoon on his way home from school, going too fast, he went around a curve and lost control, smashing into a tree. Granted, this device wouldn't have saved him, but if his parents had known he was speeding habitually, they could have taken away his driving privileges, or at least had a serious word with him and perhaps prevented his death. I remember speaking to his mother on the phone about him when he was in my class. He goofed off in class and his grades were poor. His mother said that he'd told her he was determined to bring up his science grade the next quarter. So many kids say things like that, but so few follow through. He did and brought himself from a D to a B. Good looking kid, smart and funny too. What a horrible shame.
Drive carefully. Big Mother may be watching.
A new electronic monitoring device for vehicles has hit stores and is being marketed to parents to keep track of not only where their teens take the family car, but also how.
Similar to the "black box" used on airplanes, the device, called DriveSync, records when, where, how far, how fast and even how aggressively a vehicle is driven.
"We're marketing this [to parents] as a communication and safety device," DriveSync spokeswoman Sandra MacDonald said. "There are mixed reviews from the teenagers, but the parents are saying, 'Hey, I bought the car, I pay for the insurance, this is the way it's going to be.' "
The device, about the size of a car stereo, is mounted on the dashboard, floorboard or elsewhere inside a vehicle. It is connected to the car's electronic diagnostic system, which powers the device, and is designed to be installed without professional help.
Driving data is tracked using global positioning system technology and recorded on a receiver inside the device. Data such as trip logs, route maps and usage alerts can be viewed on a password-protected Web site.... Several insurance companies are testing the product and are considering offering discounts of 10 percent to 25 percent for drivers who use the device, the company says. Company officials declined to say which North American insurance companies are interested.
A call for information to the Insurance Information Institute wasn't returned.
Teens may not be thrilled about having their driving habits monitored. But the company says the device actually may help reduce the peer pressure that leads to reckless driving.
"It's more of a deterrent that allows teens to get out of that peer pressure model where you have five kids in a car telling the driver to gun daddy's 340-horsepower engine," Ms. MacDonald said. "They can just say, 'Look, I've got this thing in the car -- can't.' "
If the system is tampered with, a yellow light will blink. And if the unit is disconnected, no data will be recorded -- another warning signal to parents.
Some people see drawbacks involved with privacy issues. I say, so what:
Privacy advocates worry that insurance companies could require car owners with electronic monitoring devices to turn over the system's data or risk having their rates increase or their policies canceled. Or that law-enforcement agencies or government agencies could demand access.
A teenager with poor driving habits captured by electronic monitoring devices could have difficulty later on obtaining his own insurance policy.
"This could create some privacy concerns or other unforeseen consequences," said Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. "Consumers need to have much more control over their personal data."
She goes on:
Besides, Ms. Coney added, monitoring systems are no substitute for good parenting.
"Some parents might think it's easier to buy the technology than actually deal with a problem that a child has, " she said. "Surveilling them may not be a better answer."
Of course it's not "the answer." It just provides handy information. If a teen does not drive within the speed limit, their driving privileges should be taken away. By the government or by parent.
Save their lives, save the lives of the people who are involved in their accidents. I think it's a great idea.
Who Will Survive?
Perhaps we Jews owe Europe a thank you. If not for them, we might not have learned what we need to do to survive. Ironic that they who taught us so very well are not able to use the lesson themselves:
Israel Will Survive, But What About Europe? - Gerald M. Steinberg (Canadian Jewish News)
- Israel became a sovereign state because Jews realized that there was no alternative in the fight for national survival. And the same drive will preserve Israel as a sovereign Jewish state, equal in status to Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and other nations.
- In Egypt, the price of war and the fear of total destruction led to mutual deterrence (what some call "peace"), and eventually the same will happen in Syria, Lebanon, and even Iran. The leaders of these countries are violent, but they're not suicidal.
- It's important to counter the misleading pessimism about Israel's future that grew out of images from Lebanon, and the conclusions that Israel met its match in the form of Hizballah fighters armed by Iran. Despite some operational errors (found in every military force) and the current leadership crisis, Israel ended the war with far fewer casualties than were expected, and with a more favorable strategic relationship with Hizballah.
- Will there be an Israel in 2020? This question about survival should be pointed elsewhere - toward Europe. Will London, Paris, Brussels, Rotterdam, etc. become satellites orbiting around a dominant Muslim empire - in other words, part of Eurabia?
- Bin Laden and the wider global jihad movement proclaim their goal of rebuilding the Islamic empire up to Spain (Andalusia) and beyond. The terror attacks of 9/11 and the terror attacks in London, Madrid, Paris, and elsewhere were not motivated by events in Israel or the plight of the Palestinians.
- After 2000 years of stateless exile, persecution, and mass murder, the Jewish people have no options other than to use force in self-defense - and the Arabs generally understand this. Occasionally, they need to be reminded that Israel is prepared to use what has been called "disproportionate power."
- The dominant Western response to Islamic terror is compromise, dialogue, apology, and calls for understanding. This form of political correctness won't work against the violence of mass terror and calls for global jihad. The question is whether the West will recognize the need for a more ferocious response in time for it to survive.
Requiem For a Lost Mind
I just spent an hour and a half, maybe longer - -
I wasn't keeping track - -
writing a post that,
when I hit the "publish" button,
became irretrievably lost in cyberspace.
How long shall I spend
Mourning the lost words?
No desire to reconstruct
a reconstruction could never compare to what was lost
or so I imagine
I can't remember what I said
and so comparison is dead too.
Memento mori.
There's nothing so mortal
as pixels which one has neglected to save.
If they'd really been important
they'd have been safeguraded
or I'd have at least bought a blogpost life insurance policy.
Now there's an idea.
What was I saying again?
Ideas are lost faster than I find them.
Which came first -
lost pixels or a lost mind?
Excuse me while I go look for them
and the answer.
Cancer and Man's Search for Meaning
Writer Alice Hoffman in an interview with Mamm magazine verbalizes how she feels as a survivor of the big C:
I'm in good health, and it's been eight years now, and they say after five years you're safe. But I'm not sure anyone ever feels safe. I think I do have more ability to block things out, but deep inside it's still the same. Deep inside you know: Once you get that kind of bombshell, you know there can always be a bombshell.
...when I was sick I read a book called Man's Search For Meaning, and it made me understand that these horrendous things that you go through are the things that really define you, they make you who you are.
The author's [Viktor Frankl] family had perished in the concentration camps, and he struggled to make sense of a world in which there's so much pain and sorrow. His theory is that it's the sorrow that defines you. Not the happiness, but the sorrow. It's sorrow - and the way you deal with it - that makes you the person that you are.
And I believe that. I don't believe that's a good thing; I just believe it's the state of the world. That's what life is: Good things happen and bad things happen. But the sorrow shows who you are deep inside, I think it shows it to yourself, and sometimes it's a shocker.
If you haven't read Man's Search for Meaning, I highly recommend it:
Viktor Frankl’s theory and therapy grew out of his experiences in Nazi death camps. Watching who did and did not survive (given an opportunity to survive!), he concluded that the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had it right: “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how. " (Friedrich Nietzsche, quoted in 1963, p. 121) He saw that people who had hopes of being reunited with loved ones, or who had projects they felt a need to complete, or who had great faith, tended to have better chances than those who had lost all hope.
*************
Like Freud a citizen of Vienna and a practicing psychotherapist, Dr. Viktor Frankl also became a university professor and prolific author. His most widely read work is Man's Search For Meaning, a keenly observed account of his experiences in the Nazi death camps during Word War II. Originally intended for limited private circulation, the slim book has since been translated into 24 languages....Frankl first ponders the mystery of transcendent experience amid extreme suffering, then explores the true nature of human moral freedom. Frankl's concentration camp experiences profoundly influenced his life's work after the war, leading to his development of logotherapy, a new clinical approach to helping patients rediscover meaning in their lives.
A Viktor Frankl quote:
I recommend that the Statue of Liberty be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the west coast.
October 24, 2006
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If You Should Order Furniture From Restoration Hardware
...and if they should mess up your order, and if you should have to call them many times, and if they should happen to put you on hold every single time you call while they: Try to figure things out, boot, reboot, unboot and have shoes fitted for their computer, twiddle their thumbs, take a bathroom break, eat lunch, try to convince a supervisor to please deal with this problem for them, scratch their rear ends, or if they've developed amnesia and have forgotten why they were there in the first place and that you existed, you may find that yo