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Happy 2009

Best wishes for peace, prosperity, good health and happiness to all in the year ahead.

In Fort Lauderdale? Here, in the US?

Shocking and scary:

Via Atlas Shrugs, who has more.

And yet, not nearly as frightening as it is for the Israelis who live on the front line and remain in my thoughts and prayers. 

A Thousand Pardons

Spending time with family.  I owe return comments and email - please forgive.  Will be back asap. 

Chazak Chazak

Arrived back from vacation this morning. My access to news was spotty over the past week.  Seems Israel has heated things up in Gaza. Nice work - -  David Hazony writes:

Israel achieved the most surprising of surprises through a number of feints, which took advantage of the government’s own reputation for dawdling. (I admit, I was taken in as well .) On Wednesday, the government’s meeting, which purportedly discussed the global jihad, in fact discussed the operation and approved it unanimously. On Thursday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak declared he would open the border crossings for humanitarian aid — despite the fact that Hamas missiles were raining down on Israeli population centers in the South. It was also leaked that the government would be holding a decisive cabinet meeting today to decide whether and when to attack. But on Friday night, Prime Minister Olmert met with Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, informed them that Hamas had been convinced that no attack was coming, and had exposed themselves. The order was given.

The other surprising element is the scale of the operation. After a devastating set of aerial blows, Israeli tanks are now gathering at the border, and Barak is talking about calling up reserves. It is way too early to tell, but it is starting to look less like payback or deterrence, and more like the beginnings of a prolongued operation aimed at toppling the Hamas regime. If this is really the aim, then don’t look for anything more than the necessary, pro-forma condemnations coming from Egypt and the Palestinian Authority. Little would make them happier than putting Hamas in its place.

I can't help but admire Israeli courage and skill.  

The criticism they are now receiving from Europe and the left is completely ridiculous.  Why do they reserve all of their potshots for Israel while continually ignoring Palestinian aggression?  

1. Because they are cowards.  They are more afraid of the Arabs than they are the Israelis.  They want to appease the Arab world and know they are safe in criticizing Israel -- there will be no retaliation or consequence. 

2. Anti-semitism - many just hate Jews to begin with, just because.

3. In the warped leftist view, the Israelis are the successful overlords and the Palestinians are the underdogs.  Blindly and stupidly denouncing Israel makes lefties feel deliciously pious and holier-than-thou.  Gag me with a spoon.

Hope Israel squashes those terrorist thugs flat.

Sevivon/Dreidel

Another version of Sevivon, plus information on the background of the song "I Have a Little Dreidel" :

Spin the Dreidel

Get your own Dreidel at ChaiSpace!

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate.

Light One Candle

Swing Dreidel

Chipmunk Chanukah Song

Chanukah Texas Style

Pass the Candle

 

Happy Chanukah!

Chanukah

A Sunset Gallery

Beautiful.

I Got, Got, Got, Got No Time

My life, lately. Heading out of town tomorrow evening. If I don't have a chance to get back here before them, best wishes for happy holidays to all. I have set up some holiday-related posts to show up while I am gone. Hope you enjoy them. No offense to readers meant by the lyrics to this song, by the way. The phrase "got, got, got, got no time" just felt so appropriate.

Sigh

Note to self:  Never write a post with the title "Teenage Girls" again, unless you want to be flooded with viewers looking for pron.

Teenage Grils

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all.

Update:  Ok, better now.  Equilibrium re-achieved, peaceful calm once again prevails. I have sprouted 6 more gray hairs, but it's ok - I have lived to tell the tale. 

No Empathy, No Shame

Israeli Prisoner Ridiculed at Hamas Rally - Khaled Abu Toameh
During Sunday's massive Hamas rally, a Hamas member dressed as kidnapped IDF soldier St.-Sgt. Gilad Shalit was led to the stage by Hamas militiamen where he pleaded for his life in Hebrew. "I miss my father, I miss my mother," the "soldier" declared as thousands of Hamas supporters shouted, "We will never recognize Israel." Mark Regev, spokesman for Prime Minister Olmert, called the skit "another example of [Hamas] cruelty and inhumanity." (Jeruaslem Post)

If you are not aware, Shalit is 22 years old and has been held in continuous captivity since his kidnapping by terrorists in 2006.   When he was 11 years old he wrote a story about peace, which has since been illustrated and published.  The story is read out loud by several school children in the video below:

I can't even begin to imagine the heartache his family must feel nor can I imagine how these tormenters can be so cruel.

5 Things Meme

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:

1.  I was raising 3 children, ages 14, 9 and 7.

2.  I was in the midst of my first year as an 8th grade science teacher.

3. I was probably grading papers, researching and planning curriculum. Maybe calling parents to let them know their child was not doing their homework, always one of my least favorite tasks.  

Thinking about this brought back a memory: I once had a long conversation with the mother of one of my students, an obvious underachiever who was very close to failing the class.  She was very nice and said she'd just been talking to him about science, and that he swore he was going to bring his grade up to a B. We actually had a long, very enjoyable talk about parenting, raising children in the DC area and I don't remember what else.  Anyway, she said her son had told her that he considered bringing up his grade a challenge and he was determined to do it.  

I can still remember his face - good looking boy, very popular, full of life, liked to fool around and have fun. He liked to draw and occasionally would show me his pictures.  Many students promise that they will bring their grades up, but not all actually follow through.  I recall him coming to me and announcing that he was going to change, saying "I'll bet you don't believe me, but just watch."  He did it.  He went from being a real mess up, don't give a darn, wise-*ss, to a serious, involved, solid B student. I was impressed with his turn around and told him so. He was very pleased with himself.

A couple of years later, I heard he'd just gotten his driver's license, was driving home from school and lost control of his car.  He slammed into a tree and died at age 16.

I still get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach thinking about it. 

4.  I was not thinking about breast cancer, mastectomies or lymphedema.

5.  I was still recovering from throwing my eldest son's Bar Mitzvah and heaving a great sigh of relief that I had a few years to prepare for middle son's.

5 things on my to do list today:

1.  Holiday cards.

2. Wrap presents.

3.  Work on photo mural for husband's office.

4.  Blogging.

5.  Make potato-leek soup, a new recipe I haven't yet tried. 

5 snacks I love:

1.  Chocolate

2.  Chocolate

3. Did I mention chocolate?

4.  Smoked cheddar cheese kettle corn

5.  A rich, dark red Cabernet accompanied by brie topped with fig preserves

5 Things I'd do if I were a millionaire:

1.  Donate to charity.

2.  Buy a few cool gadgets such as an iPhone, an Intuos3 tablet, photoshop for Mac, and a cutting edge digital camera with long range telephoto lens.

3.  Give remainder to husband to invest.

5 places I have lived:

1.  Brooklyn NY, but I don't remember it because we moved from there when I was 2 years old.

2. New Rochelle, NY

3. Washington, DC

4. New Britain, CT 

5. Northern VA

5 Jobs I have had:

1.  Camp counselor

2.  Sandwich maker/cashier at GWU campus deli - I once made a sandwich for Jimmy Carter's son, Chip.  He was a student at GW while his father was president.

3.  RN

4.  Science teacher

5.  Sunday school teacher

Meme passed along to whoever else would like to do it.

Watch Out For Werewolves

Full moon tonight.  It will be the biggest of the year because the moon has reached the closest point in its path around the earth.  

A Mind Obsessed

Taking steps toward my goal. What I've done so far:

1.  Spoke to an admission counselor at GWU. 

2.  Applied for admission to George Mason U as a non-degree student in order to take prerequisite classes.  Waiting to hear back.  They will say yes; the question is, will they do it in time?  Only one section of the chem class I need is being offered and there is risk that I might get closed out.  The plan if this happens:  Go see professor and beg.  I will offer an hour or two a week of time xeroxing, grading, cook dinner for their family, whatever, if they will let me in. I have to be able to take this class now in order to get things to fit in time for the application process. 

3.  I have been online reading extensively about the PA profession, the preparation involved, and current issues they are dealing with.  I am curious, of course, but also need to familiarize myself with all of it in preparation for the interview and the application essay.  

I am dreading writing the essay already.  I've read examples written by others and they all strike me as very emotional and dramatic.  The average age of admission to this program is 26.  Many seem to tell stories of theatrical moments where family members became ill and they were saved and this made them always want to practice medicine, etc etc etc. I am not feeling particularly emotional and dramatic; I'm more eager to learn and intellectually curious. Am hoping that if I write enough about it all here, little by little I will express enough to be able to lift, cut and paste it into at least part of an essay.  I have read that people do a huge amount of preparation for their essays - one person I read about rewrote his 34 times over a period of a year. With competition being so intense, people go to great lengths; it's a process that draws a lot of detail-oriented, ambitious and passionate people. 

Most people have never heard of the PA profession or if they have, they don't know what PAs do.  It's commonly said that they do about 80% of what MDs do, including history and physicals, ordering lab tests, diagnosing illness, performing procedures like suturing lacerations, applying casts, assisting in surgery (even harvesting the femoral vein graft for cardiac bypass as the cardiac surgeon operates on the heart), and prescribing medications.  They work under the supervision of an MD, who may or may not be physically present, depending on the situation.  

Many PAs work as family practitioners.  Fewer docs want to take on this role because it doesn't pay as well as specializing does.  Great for PAs and NPs and for the general public in helping to keep medical costs down.  PAs are well-suited to serve as both gateway to the various specializing docs and healers of less complex ailments.  PAs also work in specialty practices, hospitals, ERs and critical care units.  There are tons of different roles out there and the numbers of jobs are expected to keep growing.

There's a lot of overlap between nurse practitioners and PAs, but they are not exactly the same.  I won't bore with details, but for various reasons, I am much more interested in being a PA than NP.   

One aspect I already know I will not enjoy is the turf wars, competition and one upmanship that goes on between PAs, NPs and MDs. More on that in another post down the road.

4.  I have joined a message board for PAs and today wrote my first post.  Commonly, pre-PA students try to find a working PA to "shadow."  They spend as many hours as possible following one around and absorbing as much as possible.  It is a terrific way to learn and it looks good on the resume.  Anyway, I wrote a post asking if anyone was available to shadow in the northern VA, southern MD or DC area.  Keeping fingers crossed someone will respond.  If not, I will have to do some more digging to find someone.

5.  I have ordered a book mentioned on the PA message board about getting into PA school.  We are leaving town for vacation in a week.  Hoping it arrives in time for me to read while we are away.

Why am I writing all this?  I may put it all together into a stand alone blog one of these days - if everything works out as planned and I do get into PA school.  There are relatively few blogs out there about the process, and it is extremely helpful to be able to read about the experiences of those who have done it and are going through it. I know that being able to follow the experiences of an older person such as myself would be very useful down the road for others in a similar situation.   

Contrary to how it may seem, I really am not counting chickens before they are hatched and remain very cognizant of the fact that I might not make it.  Am attempting to walk a fine line between remaining hopeful and optimistic (one needs a little of both to get through this process), yet keeping feet on the ground and planning for it not to happen at the same time. I am tickled by the opportunity to even be able to try to go for this scheme and plan on having fun in the attempt no matter what happens.  

If it fails I will choose one of the following:

1.  Look into becoming accredited to teach high school (instead of middle school) science.

2.  Look into becoming accredited to teach LD students.

3.  Take a nurse refresher class and aim for either ICU, ER, or hospice nursing.

4.  Take art classes and volunteer in a nursing home or hospice (in the current economic climate, I think it makes more sense to work).

It doesn't really matter in the end.  I'll be happy no matter what because I am free to make choices that were closed off to me for a very long time and that in and of itself is extremely cool.

The Beating Human Heart

A marvelous and very realistic animation of the heart is available here. The outer walls become transparent at one point, allowing you to see the valves working and the chambers filling and emptying.  It's quite a view. 

If Cartoons Were Real

But hold on a minute - Superman can't age, can he?

 

Wonder if these came from Mad Magazine? 

Via Busy Cowboy

Over the Hill and Around the Bend

A new obsession has grabbed hold of me and I am having difficulty concentrating on anything else at the moment.  I am taking steps to embark upon a career change and I have realized two things:

1.  I want to do this very badly.

2.  The odds are against me being able to make it happen.

But I am going to give it a try anyway.  I have to take prerequisite classes for a year and a half and will be doing so without knowing whether I will be able to get into the program I want. It's extremely competitive and many people apply multiple times before they are accepted.  I want/need to be accepted the first time around because I am already borderline too old to do this.   

I went to see an admissions counselor at the school who said my chances for admission were pretty good since I have so much other relevant experience. She said there was no real way of knowing, however, because it depends on the applicant pool at the time I apply.  This year they had 900 applicants for 60 places. On message boards, I have seen the grades of those who are applying and have been accepted.  I am at the very low end.  The prerequisites will help bring me up to speed but not all will be done in time to be included on the application.  If they just looked at my nursing and graduate degree classes, I believe I'd make it, but the first year and a half of undergrad I was, shall we say...a bit unfocused. Ok, in all honesty, more than a bit.   

I did not expect this obsession to hit me at this stage.  Thought I was done with it.  Guess there were some buried embers of ambition I was not aware of.  I've been completely centered on my daughter for the past 5 years and before that, I was centered on breast cancer treatment and recovery.  All of a sudden, almost unbelievably at this point, I appear to be free to do whatever I want.  I am very fortunate to have a wonderful partner who is willing to support me in whatever I decide. 

I didn't know until fairly recently that I would have the freedom that I now see coming.  My daughter wasn't sure of what she wanted to do - whether she'd stay home and take classes or go away to college. During the past few weeks, she's made the decision to go away.  I will miss her very much, but am very pleased that she feels confident enough to take this step. Saying "she's had a very difficult adolescence" does not come even close to describing the reality and what we've been through. I am very proud of her and her determination not to allow the past to get in the way of a happy future. She wants to be a success story and that's at least half the battle, maybe more, right there.  

Some friends/family think I am absolutely nuts to want to do what I am planning. Others think it's cool and are telling me to go for it.  If I don't get in, though I'll be disappointed, I do have other alternatives and it won't be the end of the world. If I do get in, the intensity of the program has been described as similar to trying to drink from a fire hose.  But I am not going to get ahead of myself thinking about that. First,  2 semesters of chemistry, then 2 semesters of organic chemistry.  Then the admission process. 

This, by the way, is what I am thinking about.  

I Have Been....

....very busy with an assortment of things.  Will be back to blogging eventually. 

Things I Have and Haven't Done

Meme swiped from Oceanguy:

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band (orchestra - clarinet - 3rd grade)

4. Visited Hawai’i

5. Watched a meteor shower


6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (Does Diamondhead count?)

9. Held a praying mantis (never held one, but I have photographed one)

10. Sang a solo (sure - in the car all the time)

11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train


21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitchhiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
(As a mom, I've taken many well days when I've been sick)
24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (No, but I've been to Venice and ridden in a gondola at the Venetian in Las Vegas)

29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset…

31. Hit a home run (metaphorically)

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Russia)

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
(until very recently)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David


41. Sung karaoke


42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted
(cartoon)
48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
(only to the base of it - we didn't feel like waiting in line)

51. Gone SCUBA diving
52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie. 
(as an extra)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving


66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter.

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square


74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book


81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible. (A lot of it, but not all)
86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone…

99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

The New York Post Tells it Like it is

The New York Post has a fantastic, no-holds-barred, truthful, kick-butt, tell-it-like-it-is op-ed page.  Maybe it always had it - I don't know.  I never noticed until I started following world events more closely after 9/11.  Here's a perfect example:

THE international media have already morphed the horrific slaughter in Mumbai into the murky realm of euphemism and apologetics.

Al Jazeera and The Guardian label the terrorists "gunmen"; CNN calls them "militants." Some analysts identified the underlying cause as the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. Psychological guru Deepak Chopra called it the result of "collateral damage" from the US war on terrorism and the Iraq war.

But how does the especially bloodthirsty attack on Mumbai's Nariman-Chabad House fit into this puzzle palace?

The New York Times theorized that Chabad House may have been an "accidental hostage scene." The BBC initially chose to hide the Jewish character of the target by describing it as just "an office building." Al Jazeera refused to show Chabad House as the site of the carnage. Some Western media outlets unsympathetically labeled victims there as "ultra-Orthodox" or "missionaries."

Contrary to these fantasies, the all-too-obvious truth is now being confirmed:

* The Times of India reported that some of the terrorists, claiming to be Malaysian students, rented nearby space in order to scout out Chabad.

* The Indian doctor who conducted the post-mortems related in a shaken voice that: "Of all the bodies, the Israeli victims bore the maximum torture marks. It was clear that they were killed on the 26th [the first day of the attacks] itself. It was obvious that they were tied up and tortured before they were killed."

* The only captured terrorist, Ajmal Kamal, confessed under interrogation that his fellow murderers were specifically ordered to target the Jews killed at Chabad.

It's not only close India-Israeli ties that the terrorists wanted to destroy. It's likely that Mumbai's age-old history of hospitality to Jews made the Nariman-Chabad House a strategic target.

Mumbai is notable for two distinctive Jewish communities: Bagdhadi Jews, whose ancestors first arrived as traders about 250 years ago, and the Bene Israel, descendants of Judean Jews shipwrecked off the Indian coast 2,100 years ago. Among traditional Hindus forbidden to press oil from seeds, the Bene Israel found a welcome niche as the "Saturday Oil Presser Caste." Experiencing almost no discrimination, they were accorded high status in Indian society - one served as Gandhi's personal physician.

Now the survivors and loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Mumbai massacres begin the heartbreaking task of picking up the shattered pieces of their lives. But the families of the Chabad House victims have to also live with the double standard that lets the world look the other way when Jews are targets of terror.

At a house of fellowship and prayer, nine religious people were bound, tortured and executed because they were Jews - just as Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl had his head cut off in Pakistan because, as he told his kidnappers, "I am Jewish."

Terrorism may not succeed in destroying our civilization - but politically correct euphemisms and apologetics are already crippling our ability to defend it. [link]

Kudos are also due to the writers, of course:

Rabbi Abraham Cooper is associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Harold Brackman, a historian, is a consultant for the center.

Mumbai: This Was Not Mindless Violence

Melanie Phillips writes:

This was not, as is so often described, 'mindless violence'.

On the contrary, the terrorists precisely calibrated both their choice of targets and the way in which they attacked them. This tells us many things.

India was chosen in order to further two aims. First was to foment greater tension between India and Pakistan.

No less important was the wish to destroy the ever more vital strategic alliance between India and the West in common defense against the Islamist onslaught.

That was why British and American visitors in those two grand hotels were singled out.

And that was why Mumbai itself was chosen — as the symbol of India's burgeoning commerce and prosperity and its links with the West.

The manner of these attacks also carried a message.

Many hostages were taken, but no attempt was made to use them to demand redress of any grievances. They were simply killed.

That made a statement that the terrorists' agenda is non-negotiable.

The attacks demonstrated, above all, the reach of the perpetrators and the impotence of their designated victims.

Those who believe that Islamist terror can be halted by addressing grievances around the world are profoundly mistaken. [link]

George Friedman, chairman of Strategic Forecasting, Inc., analyzes the geopolitical consequences of the attacks:

 ...step back and consider the situation the Mumbai attackers have created. First, the Indian government faces an internal political crisis driving it toward a confrontation it didn't plan on. Second, the minimum Pakistani response to a renewed Indo-Pakistani crisis will be withdrawing forces from western Pakistan, thereby strengthening the Taliban and securing al Qaeda. Third, sufficient pressure on Pakistan's civilian government could cause it to collapse, opening the door to a military-Islamist government — or it could see Pakistan collapse into chaos, giving Islamists security in various regions and an opportunity to reshape Pakistan. Finally, the United States' situation in Afghanistan has now become enormously more complex. [link]

Not mindless violence, but craven and extremely cruel. Jews were tortured before being killed, people were lined up against a wall and shot in cold blood:

Mumbai Attacks: Jews Tortured Before Being Executed - Damien McElroy (Telegraph-UK)
    Doctors expressed horror at the condition of the bodies recovered from the Habad house in Mumbai.
    "I have seen so many dead bodies in my life, and was traumatized," a mortician said. "It was apparent that most of the dead were tortured. What shocked me were the telltale signs showing clearly how the hostages were executed in cold blood."
    The group that stormed Mumbai displayed unrestrained brutality. Police said 17 victims were pushed against a wall in the Oberoi hotel and executed in a line.

From Arutz Sheva:

Mumbai doctors who examined the bodies of the victims of the Muslim terror massacre said the victims were tortured before being slaughtered.

"Of all the bodies, the Israeli victims bore the maximum torture marks," a doctor who examined the bodies told the Indian news website Rediff.com.

Click here for more pictures from inside the Mumbai Chabad House [Warning: Graphic images]

"It was clear that they were killed on Wednesday. It was obvious that they were tied up and tortured before they were killed. It was so bad that I do not want to go over the details even in my head again," he said.

Another doctor commented, "It was very strange. I have seen so many dead bodies in my life, and was yet traumatized. A bomb blast victim's body might have been torn apart and could be a very disturbing sight. But the bodies of the victims in this attack bore such signs about the kind of violence of urban warfare that I am still unable to put my thoughts to words," he said. [link]

Sherri Mandell writes:

A Guide for the Bereaved

To the families of those killed in the Mumbai terrorist attacks, make no mistake, this tragedy will affect you for the rest of your life.

People will ask you: Do you hate the killers? And when you answer no, they will think that something is wrong with you. But hate is not something you have the energy for; you are too sad to hate. Besides you are a person who loves. To turn to hate would make you like the killers.

Don't let others tell you that your loved ones died for nothing. They died because they were innocent victims of radical Islamic hatred. They died because radical Islam is vicious and evil and worships destruction and stands against everything you hold dear.

It is paramount that you seek justice - but do not seek revenge. Revenge embitters you while justice elevates you. Justice is motivated by love; revenge is motivated by hatred. Revenge is the modus operandi of the terrorists, and their hatred for others will in the end be defeated.

Keep speaking about the evil that was perpetrated against your loved one. Don't allow the media or others to call the murderers militants or freedom fighters. Insist that your loved one's murder be remembered.

The writer's 13-year-old son Koby was murdered by terrorists in 2001. She and her husband Seth created the Koby Mandell Foundation which offers healing programs for families struck by terror (kobymandell.org).

Baruch Dayan Emet

Computer Woes

My computer has become buggy and is working very slowly.  Drives me crazy when I have to sit and wait 30-60 seconds for every page to load. I purchased this Dell laptop (an XPS M1710) about 3-4 years ago and have not been happy with it. The hard drive is too small (100 GB) and 85% of it is full right now.  I love the 17-inch screen, but it's much too heavy and cumbersome to lug around. It hasn't worn well. The outer case is broken at one of the joints where the screen meets the keyboard and it can no longer close completely. The E, R, T, I, O, and N keys are faded and threadbare. I've had to replace the powercord several times, and the one I am currently using is on its last legs. Windows Vista has been a great disappointment and I am tired of dealing with all the problems, the viruses, adware, quirks, error messages and slowness of operation. 

With greater frequency I've been remembering back to our first computer, a Mac that we purchased in 1992.  We used it without a single major problem until it became obsolete.  I could troubleshoot it myself.  I knew where everything was, I knew what everything was for, it was delightfully user friendly and so completely opposite from the PC (which I've decided must have been engineered by those who hate people without high tech degrees).   

On Friday, I finally decided I couldn't take it anymore and gave in. I ordered a lovely little wasp-weight environmentally sound 13-inch Mac Book with 320 GB hard drive during Apple's Black Friday promotional sale. I was also able to get a wireless printer/scanner/copier for a total of $30 after rebate with the purchase. Pretty nice deal.

It will arrive sometime this week (can't wait!). Until it does, due to technical difficulties, blogging will be slow.