the computer ones
at least they don't have calories
now I'm going to try basketball
wish me luck
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
The Richie Havens Concert
When I was in New York, I went with my parents to one of the free
concerts in the Great Neck Parks. It was folk music by Richie Havens.
I had no idea who he was/is, but my cousin, the family music maven, told me that he's very good and wishes that we had invited him to come along. And yes, I did enjoy it!
The setting, Steppingstone Park, next to the Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy was unreal. On the way there we got lost, so I had a tour of Kings Point, the wealthier section of Great Neck. It wasn't a neighborhood I knew well, so the "tour" was an added treat. We still got there with enough time to find a parking space not too far from the park. Because of my mother's "handicapped" sign, we didn't have to walk the half mile plus, (about a kilometer at least). We were allowed into the parking lot.
Richie Havens' staff didn't allow photographs or recordings, though I saw lots of camera flashes. But somehow, every time, OK the two times, I turned my camera on, they caught me. The first time, I didn't even manage to take a picture. The second time I was very far from the stage, we were leaving, and I put my 4X zoom to the test to see if it was better than my eye sight. Within seconds the "squad" caught me, demanded to see the picture and told me to delete it. When he realized that I didn't know how, he showed me. So sweet, so you'll have to do with the shot of the stage I took before the show began.
Steaming
Not from anger, it's just hot here. I wonder if it's really getting hotter, or just age, but that can't be, since even younger people complain about the heat.
My kids are after us to get one of those air conditioner-heaters. They claim that our heater, one of those oil-filled radiators, doesn't heat the house. I'm happy with it. I put it on a timer, and it goes on before I come home, and I use another in my room for just a few hours. When everyone comes to visit, we add a few more in the bedrooms, but just having extra people makes the house warmer. Strange, they don't agree with me.
Of course people also make the house hotter in the summer, which can make us rather anti-social... you don't believe that, do you?
I think that people just have less tolerance for warmer and colder weather here in Israel, since more and more people and public buildings use heating and cooling systems, not just a fan or two, or some small heaters, systems.
For years we didn't have any fans, and it wasn't so bad. Now we have two going on in the livingroom, and nothing here in the den, and I'm dehydrating from typing.
Friday, August 18, 2006
NBN Prize Winners
These two young girls, Lior Shemesh - Israel (from Rosh Hayin)
Malky Kornblit - USA (New Jersey), are the winners of the Nefesh B'Nefesh logo contest! Take a look at the logos on the plane!
At the movies...
To clarify, I don't "go to the movies;" I watch at home. It really doesn't pay and isn't as comfortable. When I'm in NY I buy movies for an average of less than $10- a movie, which works out much less than two tickets, not counting all the other expenses.
During my recent visit I got a few as usual, some known and some I had never heard of. I found a 3-DVD package in some big store on Fifth Avenue. Two of the movies were totally new to me, but the stars seemed reliable enough for me to trust. (Of course I didn't buy anything with Mel Gibson.)
What could be wrong with a movie starring: Denzel Washington, Annette Bening and Bruce Willis? Even on their worst days, they can out-act most anyone else in Hollywood. The Siege was a real surprise for me.
It's all about the FBI, CIA, National Security and Arab terrorism. In terms of the acting, it was definitely Bruce Willis's worst, at least the worst I've ever seen. But the rest of the acting was superb.
I guess I ought to see it again for more details, but the message I got from it was really frightening. Sorry if this is ruining it for you, but for me the most important point is...
It's discovered that the terrorists who are blowing up New York City were actually trained by the CIA operative, played by Annette Bening. Believe me, it's still worth seeing the movie, if you haven't yet.
During my recent visit I got a few as usual, some known and some I had never heard of. I found a 3-DVD package in some big store on Fifth Avenue. Two of the movies were totally new to me, but the stars seemed reliable enough for me to trust. (Of course I didn't buy anything with Mel Gibson.)
What could be wrong with a movie starring: Denzel Washington, Annette Bening and Bruce Willis? Even on their worst days, they can out-act most anyone else in Hollywood. The Siege was a real surprise for me.
It's all about the FBI, CIA, National Security and Arab terrorism. In terms of the acting, it was definitely Bruce Willis's worst, at least the worst I've ever seen. But the rest of the acting was superb.
I guess I ought to see it again for more details, but the message I got from it was really frightening. Sorry if this is ruining it for you, but for me the most important point is...
It's discovered that the terrorists who are blowing up New York City were actually trained by the CIA operative, played by Annette Bening. Believe me, it's still worth seeing the movie, if you haven't yet.
Did I say...
I was over my jetlag?
OOOOOOOOOps!
Just an hour or so ago, I was trying to blog, when my eyes kept closing, and my mind kept fogging...
...and I just drifted off to the couch and found myself sleeping deeply, until...
...the phone rang.
So, I guess my body is still craving sleep, and the chocolate and caffein-ful tea hadn't done the trick. Maybe that hour's nap will be enough.
and...
..about that jetlag...
I started taking melatonin, and I think that I can stop it already. I'm sleeping "too well." That means, very uncharacteristically for me, I don't hear my alarm.
It doesn't mean that I don't wake up in the middle of the night. The pelvic floor isn't what it used to be, but I wake up once only and fall asleep fine afterwards, so I can't complain. And last night when I woke up I saw a light from son #1's room. I finally tracked him down in the den using the computer. Yes, he's home on leave from Lebanon. Thank G-d!
And now I'm off to the pool!
I started taking melatonin, and I think that I can stop it already. I'm sleeping "too well." That means, very uncharacteristically for me, I don't hear my alarm.
It doesn't mean that I don't wake up in the middle of the night. The pelvic floor isn't what it used to be, but I wake up once only and fall asleep fine afterwards, so I can't complain. And last night when I woke up I saw a light from son #1's room. I finally tracked him down in the den using the computer. Yes, he's home on leave from Lebanon. Thank G-d!
And now I'm off to the pool!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Quick KCC Reminder
From a different perspective
Last week when I was flying back home on the Nefesh B'Nefesh flight, I said the Shacharit, Morning Prayers, at the first moment it's allowed. That's when the sky is still dark, but you can see the first rays of the sun.
I hadn't slept all night. Being the "In-Flight Press" means pulling an all-nighter, and this time there were quite a few of the olim, new immigrants, shmoozing by the kitchen. So I was busy.
Then I noticed the most amazing sight, on the horizon was a bright orange-red line--the sun, and over it the black sky and diamond-like stars.
The sunlight meant that I could say the morning prayers, so I sat down and started. It's funny how you can read the same words over and over for years and years, and then suddenly, they have different meaning. That's how I felt when saying the first of the blessings in Birkat Hashachar, the Morning/Dawn Blessings:
Baruch atah Adoshem Elokeinu melech ha'olam asher natan l'sechvi vinah l'havchin bain yom uvein laylah.
Blessed are you Hashem our G-d, ing of the universe, Who gave the heart understanding to distinguish between day and night.
Suddenly it hit me. Generally it's very easy to know if it's day or night. Honestly, what's the big deal. It's light during the day and dark at night. But here I was, high above the earth, protected by this enormous man-made machine. It looked dark outside, but it was officially day according to my human understanding. I tried photographing it, but even my 7.1 pixels didn't do it justice; you'll just have to trust my description.
It really was the perfect time for the morning prayers. I felt it even more than I do when the sunrise fills my livingroom windows.
Almost sixty years after Israel's Declaration of Independence the war isn't yet over. This is as clear to me as that sun was bright on the horizon. There are many here weary of the battle, but we must never give up.
“Baruch Atah Adoshem, Elokeinu Melech HaOlam, Ha Noten L’Ayeif Ko’ach.” “Blessed be You Our G-d, Lord of the Universe, Who Gives Strength to the Weary.”
Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach!
I hadn't slept all night. Being the "In-Flight Press" means pulling an all-nighter, and this time there were quite a few of the olim, new immigrants, shmoozing by the kitchen. So I was busy.
Then I noticed the most amazing sight, on the horizon was a bright orange-red line--the sun, and over it the black sky and diamond-like stars.
The sunlight meant that I could say the morning prayers, so I sat down and started. It's funny how you can read the same words over and over for years and years, and then suddenly, they have different meaning. That's how I felt when saying the first of the blessings in Birkat Hashachar, the Morning/Dawn Blessings:
Baruch atah Adoshem Elokeinu melech ha'olam asher natan l'sechvi vinah l'havchin bain yom uvein laylah.
Blessed are you Hashem our G-d, ing of the universe, Who gave the heart understanding to distinguish between day and night.
Suddenly it hit me. Generally it's very easy to know if it's day or night. Honestly, what's the big deal. It's light during the day and dark at night. But here I was, high above the earth, protected by this enormous man-made machine. It looked dark outside, but it was officially day according to my human understanding. I tried photographing it, but even my 7.1 pixels didn't do it justice; you'll just have to trust my description.
It really was the perfect time for the morning prayers. I felt it even more than I do when the sunrise fills my livingroom windows.
Almost sixty years after Israel's Declaration of Independence the war isn't yet over. This is as clear to me as that sun was bright on the horizon. There are many here weary of the battle, but we must never give up.
“Baruch Atah Adoshem, Elokeinu Melech HaOlam, Ha Noten L’Ayeif Ko’ach.” “Blessed be You Our G-d, Lord of the Universe, Who Gives Strength to the Weary.”
Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Can a good PR staff do "tshuva," repent?
I was in New York when Mel Gibson's #%&$#&*% hit the fans.
The story vied with the war between Hisbollah and Israel for headlines and time on the newscasts. At the same time, Landis, the Tour d'France winner, was revealed to have failed his drug tests, meaning, he may have had taken a "performance enhancer" when he won the race. He defended himself by confronting the media, and getting a top defense team, to show the inaccuracy of the tests.
Back to Gibson. The news media kept showing pictures of his drunkenly partying with some pretty young women and hamming it up to the enthusiastic cameras. Some of the women became instant celebreties as they were interviewed about their evening with Gibson.
The policeman who pulled the drunk and speeding Gibson over let people know the nasty, anti-Semitic things the star said to him. Many people believe that liquor reveals the truth of a man, and over the years there had been many reports of Gibson's anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.
His staff worked hard writing apologetic statements, and it certainly helped that Gibson is a good actor, so his "tshuva" performance looked convincing. But remember that he is an actor, and his staff is professional, too.
So there's nothing sincere in Gibson's statements, but about Landis, who knows?
The story vied with the war between Hisbollah and Israel for headlines and time on the newscasts. At the same time, Landis, the Tour d'France winner, was revealed to have failed his drug tests, meaning, he may have had taken a "performance enhancer" when he won the race. He defended himself by confronting the media, and getting a top defense team, to show the inaccuracy of the tests.
Back to Gibson. The news media kept showing pictures of his drunkenly partying with some pretty young women and hamming it up to the enthusiastic cameras. Some of the women became instant celebreties as they were interviewed about their evening with Gibson.
The policeman who pulled the drunk and speeding Gibson over let people know the nasty, anti-Semitic things the star said to him. Many people believe that liquor reveals the truth of a man, and over the years there had been many reports of Gibson's anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.
His staff worked hard writing apologetic statements, and it certainly helped that Gibson is a good actor, so his "tshuva" performance looked convincing. But remember that he is an actor, and his staff is professional, too.
So there's nothing sincere in Gibson's statements, but about Landis, who knows?
and back at the ranch...
I just got back from a great ol' cookout!
The occassion was a "chanukat habayit," housewarming a neighbor made after buying a house here in Shiloh.
Yes! You read that correctly. She bought a house. Honestly, people are buying, building and enlarging houses in Shiloh.
We don't care what Olmert has said. He can choke on it! He can and is choking on Lebanon! He's losing support, the support of his party, the army, the ordinary citizens. People are waking up to his dangerous policies. Too bad they needed such punishment to start thinking clearly.
The occassion was a "chanukat habayit," housewarming a neighbor made after buying a house here in Shiloh.
Yes! You read that correctly. She bought a house. Honestly, people are buying, building and enlarging houses in Shiloh.
We don't care what Olmert has said. He can choke on it! He can and is choking on Lebanon! He's losing support, the support of his party, the army, the ordinary citizens. People are waking up to his dangerous policies. Too bad they needed such punishment to start thinking clearly.
Jerusalem night scene
The night before I left for the states, I played with my new camera. Does anyone know what's in the picture or the location I shot from?
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Not only nail clippers
For the past few years, there are travelers who, not quite like the sailor with the girl in every port, have to buy new nail clippers every place they land. I started crocheting last summer, because I needed scissors to do needlepoint, and I couldn't take any on the plane.
But these are minor inconveniences for air safety in a time when terrorists can be anybody any place, especially in the skies.
For some people it's not just a matter of trading in needles and scissors for a crochet hook. Many musicians carry their instruments with them on the plane, and the recent restrictions forbid it.
This has caused more than simple inconveniences; it even caused concerts to be cancelled. It's many decades since boat travel was the norm, and then the musicians could guard their instruments in their staterooms.
But these are minor inconveniences for air safety in a time when terrorists can be anybody any place, especially in the skies.
For some people it's not just a matter of trading in needles and scissors for a crochet hook. Many musicians carry their instruments with them on the plane, and the recent restrictions forbid it.
This has caused more than simple inconveniences; it even caused concerts to be cancelled. It's many decades since boat travel was the norm, and then the musicians could guard their instruments in their staterooms.
New York! New York! #2
New York is a nice place to visit...
The top picture is Fifth Avenue, which I find irresistible. I can walk it for hours, as long as it's not raining. On August 1st, one of the hottest days of a very hot summer, when an air-conditioned bus should have been the mode of transportation between Penn Station and the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, where I spoke at the AFSI meeting, I ended up walking all the way. Honestly, I've been to cooler steam rooms.
The second picture is of the park on the West Side, across from the two furthest north Trump buildings, 180 and 200 Riverside Blvd. I visited people in both those buildings. One has a view of the park from their windows, and the other has a great terrace facing the other way.
New York is both cleaner and friendlier than it used to be. I didn't feel the racial tension which was once a dominant characteristic. Class seems to be the great unifier. The blacks and Hispanics are doing better financially, which is obvious from the people I saw on the subways. I was even told to sit down, meaning I'm getting older and people are more caring. It was definitely pleasant to travel on public transportation and walk, window shopping and joining the tourists taking pictures. And yes, there were tourists in the subways asking directions.
Still, there's no place like home!
Still jetlagged
I really thought that the jetlag was over, since I had slept so well and so long the night before, but at midnight I still wasn't tired! Though I really tried to go to sleep, tossed and turned--a real time waster!
So....
considering how many hours I had spent on the computer, or both computers, "one for business" and one for games, all day, and the energy I felt--maybe my walk around the neighborhood was a bissel too late in the evening--I decided that the time had come to catch up on CHORES!
So...
I folded the laundry while watching the second half of my newly purchased "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." Double good news. The laundry got folded "Whistle while you work!" and the second half was better than the first!
...and then I managed to fall asleep
...until the alarm woke me up
...and here I am, coffee in hand, another load of laundry bouncing around with the sudsy water...
So....
considering how many hours I had spent on the computer, or both computers, "one for business" and one for games, all day, and the energy I felt--maybe my walk around the neighborhood was a bissel too late in the evening--I decided that the time had come to catch up on CHORES!
So...
I folded the laundry while watching the second half of my newly purchased "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." Double good news. The laundry got folded "Whistle while you work!" and the second half was better than the first!
...and then I managed to fall asleep
...until the alarm woke me up
...and here I am, coffee in hand, another load of laundry bouncing around with the sudsy water...
Monday, August 14, 2006
NBN on the Radio
Listen to this!
During this Tamar Yona radio show on Arutz 7, you'll hear the interview I gave about the Nefesh B'Nefesh flight. My interview is about two hours into the show.
returning to myself
I hope that this is the end of jetlag. I've been having my usual
one night sleep
one night up
Usually the nights up are prefaced with a short nap, which can't be controled, since I've totally collapsed by 4pm, much too early for a night's sleep, and what harm could an hour's sleep do?
Yesterday that "sleeping on my feet" began a wee bit later, closer to 7pm, which was still much too early to sleep the night. So I forced myself to stay awake and then walked arournd the neighborhood. I didn't take my camera, convinced that it was too overcast for a nice sunset. Of course I was wrong; the sunset was amazing, but it may not have photographed too well, and I'm not into doctoring pictures to get better color etc. I'm not into doctoring them at all, being a purist at heart. I've taken supurb pictures with film cameras, and even the pictures I took as a little kid have excellent composition--in the days of black and white.
Eventually I allowed myself to go to bed after 9, setting my alarm for 8am, a good two hours after my latest normal wake-up time.
I remember getting up a couple of times, but got back to sleep, and I finally got out of bed and started the day before 8. Now, let's see what happens tonight.
But in the meantime, I'm catching up on all of my internet, blogging, email etc. While I was away, I rarely blogged nor had any computer time, so that I'm only on two "carnivals" this week, and here they are:
Havel Havelim #82
BOMS #141
Enjoy!
one night sleep
one night up
Usually the nights up are prefaced with a short nap, which can't be controled, since I've totally collapsed by 4pm, much too early for a night's sleep, and what harm could an hour's sleep do?
Yesterday that "sleeping on my feet" began a wee bit later, closer to 7pm, which was still much too early to sleep the night. So I forced myself to stay awake and then walked arournd the neighborhood. I didn't take my camera, convinced that it was too overcast for a nice sunset. Of course I was wrong; the sunset was amazing, but it may not have photographed too well, and I'm not into doctoring pictures to get better color etc. I'm not into doctoring them at all, being a purist at heart. I've taken supurb pictures with film cameras, and even the pictures I took as a little kid have excellent composition--in the days of black and white.
Eventually I allowed myself to go to bed after 9, setting my alarm for 8am, a good two hours after my latest normal wake-up time.
I remember getting up a couple of times, but got back to sleep, and I finally got out of bed and started the day before 8. Now, let's see what happens tonight.
But in the meantime, I'm catching up on all of my internet, blogging, email etc. While I was away, I rarely blogged nor had any computer time, so that I'm only on two "carnivals" this week, and here they are:
Havel Havelim #82
BOMS #141
Enjoy!
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Digital report
Yes, that's my camera, the Canon A620. Strange that I copied that to use as an illustration even before making any sort of decision what to buy.
I still use the view-finder to compose my shots, since I need my glasses to deal with the screen. You can see samples of my results here, my sister-in-law took the picture, and here and here.
I'm still having trouble with the technical stuff of taking picture off the camera, sort of. It may just be a simple problem with the disc I copied the last and most important batch onto. I'm talking about the pictures from the Nefesh B'Nefesh flight.
My camera, bought in Jerusalem at Photo Nissim, came with a 1 megabyte memory card, and I bought a 2 megabyte one in NY. I probably should have had just bought another single. Also, I was really panicky about the batteries running out, so I bought a couple of spare sets and rechargers. Even though I took pictures throughout a good portion of 16 hours, the batteries stayed strong. So there, too, I didn't need to invest so much.
If I don't manage to use the home-copied disk, I'll just do it in a photo store in Jerusalem.
The camera isn't small; it's the size of a regular one, since the batteries add to the weight and bulk. Also the 7.1 pixels mean lots of memory and time per picture.
Once I get the pictures on this computer, you'll see how great they are. Sunday night I went with my parents to a concert in Stepping Stone Park, Great Neck, near the Kings Point Academy, and I took some unreal ones of the water, boats, sunset. Stay posted. They are well worth waiting for!
New York! New York! #1
Busking in Penn Station. After the commuters were long home, I found a band set up in Penn Station. The audience seemed to be enjoying themselves, and some gave the guys money. They were selling discs of their music, too.
Manhattan street peddlers. There's lots to buy on the streets of New York.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
United?
Recently, since the war started, I've heard people saying:
"At least now there's unity."
I disagree. I don't see unity. When I tell them that, they say:
"But so many people are helping all of those who fled their homes."
My reply:
"That's chessed, kindness, not unity."
The definition of "unity:"
All I see is a one-sided giving.
If we had true unity, everybody would be caring about everyone else, equally.
If we had true unity, every Israeli, every Jew would respect and value others.
If we had true unity, every Israeli, every Jew would see that the destruction of Gush Katif and Northern Shomron and exile of their innocent citizens endangered everyone, and if more Jewish communities are G-d forbid destroyed, others will be in even more danger.
If we had true unity, the Disengagement victims, those homeless would have rushed to Judea and Samaria to help strengthen us, and they wouldn't call us "fanatics" and refuse to support us, even though we were at the forefront of those protesting against Disengagement.
I'm sorry to say that I don't see any unity, though I do see some fantastic acts of "chessed." Yes, they are good, but we have a long way to go and not much time left.
"At least now there's unity."
I disagree. I don't see unity. When I tell them that, they say:
"But so many people are helping all of those who fled their homes."
My reply:
"That's chessed, kindness, not unity."
The definition of "unity:"
u·ni·ty (yū'nĭ-tē)
n., pl.
-ties.
The state or quality of being one; singleness.
The state or
quality of being in accord; harmony.
The combination or arrangement of
parts into a whole; unification.
A combination or union thus formed.
Singleness or constancy of purpose or action; continuity: “In an army you
need unity of purpose” (Emmeline Pankhurst).
All I see is a one-sided giving.
If we had true unity, everybody would be caring about everyone else, equally.
If we had true unity, every Israeli, every Jew would respect and value others.
If we had true unity, every Israeli, every Jew would see that the destruction of Gush Katif and Northern Shomron and exile of their innocent citizens endangered everyone, and if more Jewish communities are G-d forbid destroyed, others will be in even more danger.
If we had true unity, the Disengagement victims, those homeless would have rushed to Judea and Samaria to help strengthen us, and they wouldn't call us "fanatics" and refuse to support us, even though we were at the forefront of those protesting against Disengagement.
I'm sorry to say that I don't see any unity, though I do see some fantastic acts of "chessed." Yes, they are good, but we have a long way to go and not much time left.
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