I would be remiss if I didn't comment on my travels this past black Friday ( previously referred to as Green Friday, for obvious reasons.) As many of you know, this is a day of great fun for me, as I always enjoy the experience, the camaraderie of bargain hunters ( unless two of them are going for the same item, then it can be bloody, which is even more fun for the onlookers), and the feeling of getting a good bargain on something for which I have been watching the price, waiting for it to drop.
My first stop was my favorite store, Walmart. I got there at 7, with all the "hot" items long gone (as well as the insane crowds. I find the best time to shop is at 7. The first crush of dedicated shoppers are gone, and regular people are not out yet). Well, as I was roaming the store, as they move all the doorbusters all over the store, I saw one of the electronic items I wanted on a shelf of towels. ("Score!). Then I got on line. As I was standing there, I noticed someone standing at the front of the bag area. After the person at the register was taken care of, the cashier took this person ahead of me. She was buying some toys. After the purchased were rung up, she took a Benefits card out of her wallet and swiped it through.
Now, I do not profess to be an expert in the fine print of the welfare benefits system, but I am pretty sure that IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE PURCHASE OF TOYS!!!
This pretty much dovetails with what Soupeater was talking about earlier. The clear abuse of our aid system is what is doing this country in. And now they want to take over another aspect of our lives, when it is well known that the abuse of medicare is even more rampant that welfare.
Enough of that, then I went to the Palisades mall ( via the Nanuet mall, which was as busy as a regular day, sad.) I was on the elevator when a family entered. There was a man and woman, both very calm, each pushing a carriage, and three little children. One of the kids was carrying on and the wife good naturedly asked her husband " Having fun yet?"
I looked at them and said " enjoy them, my kids don't come with me anymore." Which was actually a bit bittersweet for me. I always enjoyed sharing the fun with the kids, but now they either have school that day, are away, or not interested.
I guess I will have to wait for them to be out of school and on their own, then I can get on line with them at 5 AM at Best Buy again.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
By the Dawn's Early Light
Dick Gregory, a black comedian who spoofed the problems of black people a generation ago had a line regarding his bad luck which went something like this: "I decided to stage a sit-in but THEY INTEGRATED."
This morning, at a time when one cannot recognize his friend, I rose to join the annual pilgrimage to commercial Mecca and participate in the Black Friday events. The destination of my choice was the Best Buy store in Paramus. I had been considering the purchase of a computer which happened to be one of the items listed on the "doorbuster" flier that accompanied yesterday's local newspaper. The price was considerably lower than the already low price it had been selling for just a few days ago.
I opted not to try the Best Buy at the Palisades Mall, a gargantuan palace of retail commerce which on the slowest of days typically has a full parking lot and requires endless walking to reach a particular store. Especially on this day, with the multitude of Black Friday bargains to be had at many stores in the mall I judged the expected crowding to be more than a trip there was worth. The Paramus location is somewhat differently situated with the store entrance right off the parking lot and without other neighboring stores offering fantastic bargains.
I arrived a few minutes early for the 5AM opening and the line, while long, did not look at all daunting. There were some vagabonds among the crowd regaling the onlookers with a cacophony of drumbeats from portable drums. When the line began to move, they took off and we thought they were off to give some other hapless shoppers a dose of their entertainment, but they quickly returned to the line after stowing their tom toms in the trunk of their car.
The line began moving rapidly as (we thought) the first shoppers were led into the cavernous interior of the store. After we got about halfway, the line came to a jolting halt. Since we were around the corner from the entrance, we couldn't see what was holding up the line and chalked it up to a breather before the line began to move again. Only it didn't.
One of my fellow queuers sent his daughter to scout out the delay. She soon returned with the news that the police were arguing with the store personnel and that there were four police cars at the entrance. It turns out that the quaint city of Paramus has a law on its books that prohibits certain stores from opening for business before 7AM. So that was it. Fortunately for me and my acquisitive nature, I espied one of my nephews patiently waiting in line, considerably ahead of me. I told him what I was looking for and he said he would try to get it for me.
I came home and went back to sleep.
This morning, at a time when one cannot recognize his friend, I rose to join the annual pilgrimage to commercial Mecca and participate in the Black Friday events. The destination of my choice was the Best Buy store in Paramus. I had been considering the purchase of a computer which happened to be one of the items listed on the "doorbuster" flier that accompanied yesterday's local newspaper. The price was considerably lower than the already low price it had been selling for just a few days ago.
I opted not to try the Best Buy at the Palisades Mall, a gargantuan palace of retail commerce which on the slowest of days typically has a full parking lot and requires endless walking to reach a particular store. Especially on this day, with the multitude of Black Friday bargains to be had at many stores in the mall I judged the expected crowding to be more than a trip there was worth. The Paramus location is somewhat differently situated with the store entrance right off the parking lot and without other neighboring stores offering fantastic bargains.
I arrived a few minutes early for the 5AM opening and the line, while long, did not look at all daunting. There were some vagabonds among the crowd regaling the onlookers with a cacophony of drumbeats from portable drums. When the line began to move, they took off and we thought they were off to give some other hapless shoppers a dose of their entertainment, but they quickly returned to the line after stowing their tom toms in the trunk of their car.
The line began moving rapidly as (we thought) the first shoppers were led into the cavernous interior of the store. After we got about halfway, the line came to a jolting halt. Since we were around the corner from the entrance, we couldn't see what was holding up the line and chalked it up to a breather before the line began to move again. Only it didn't.
One of my fellow queuers sent his daughter to scout out the delay. She soon returned with the news that the police were arguing with the store personnel and that there were four police cars at the entrance. It turns out that the quaint city of Paramus has a law on its books that prohibits certain stores from opening for business before 7AM. So that was it. Fortunately for me and my acquisitive nature, I espied one of my nephews patiently waiting in line, considerably ahead of me. I told him what I was looking for and he said he would try to get it for me.
I came home and went back to sleep.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
This and That
Today, I heard two news stories (headlines more accurately) with very little detail that I have been unable to verify on line and but since it comes from an impeccable source (WQXR) I have no reason to doubt their veracity.
The first story deals with a grant that enables food stamp recipients to purchase them online. I was shocked to hear that people who are eligible for food stamps have computers and internet connections. I thought these things cost money. My internet cable for instance costs about $50.00 a month. And my computer wasn't cheap either, at least not by food stamp standards. On the other hand, everyone in that class seems to have a giant screen HD television set or two and that's not considered unusual. I have two television sets which would be appropriate for museum exhibits. Even though I bought conversion boxes for each of them to enable them to receive digital signals (the government paid for some of their cost, but that is fodder for another blog) I haven't been able to receive any popular programming since the fateful day that analog signals were turned off. It's not the broadcasters' fault but that of my antenna which stands inaccessibly in my attic and is either not tuned correctly or is the wrong type - vhf instead of UHF.
Where was I?
Ah yes, the second story.
This was that the NY Board of Education will begin using student test scores in its evaluation of teacher's bids for tenure even though it is against state law. The union is understandably up in arms about this. The BOE seems to have backed down a bit to union outrage and said that observation of teachers in the classroom setting will also be used to determined eligibility.
I initially heard this news with glee because "If the unions are agin it, how can I not be for it?" The teachers unions in New York have been protecting incompetent and burned-out teachers for years to the detriment of the entire student body. In truth though, upon reflection, I can't really agree that the BOE is on to something. After all, why blame a teacher if the lunkheads he/she is trying to teach just don't get it. We know that their interest is anywhere but in the classroom or with the subjects they are being taught. If you don't want to learn, the best teachers in the world won't be able to teach you. Remember, we are talking here about New York City public school students. On the other hand, we do need metrics for competence, a concept the unions have been fighting since they established themselves. What better way to judge effectiveness than by test results.
I remain open minded on the question and invite feedback from my readers.
The first story deals with a grant that enables food stamp recipients to purchase them online. I was shocked to hear that people who are eligible for food stamps have computers and internet connections. I thought these things cost money. My internet cable for instance costs about $50.00 a month. And my computer wasn't cheap either, at least not by food stamp standards. On the other hand, everyone in that class seems to have a giant screen HD television set or two and that's not considered unusual. I have two television sets which would be appropriate for museum exhibits. Even though I bought conversion boxes for each of them to enable them to receive digital signals (the government paid for some of their cost, but that is fodder for another blog) I haven't been able to receive any popular programming since the fateful day that analog signals were turned off. It's not the broadcasters' fault but that of my antenna which stands inaccessibly in my attic and is either not tuned correctly or is the wrong type - vhf instead of UHF.
Where was I?
Ah yes, the second story.
This was that the NY Board of Education will begin using student test scores in its evaluation of teacher's bids for tenure even though it is against state law. The union is understandably up in arms about this. The BOE seems to have backed down a bit to union outrage and said that observation of teachers in the classroom setting will also be used to determined eligibility.
I initially heard this news with glee because "If the unions are agin it, how can I not be for it?" The teachers unions in New York have been protecting incompetent and burned-out teachers for years to the detriment of the entire student body. In truth though, upon reflection, I can't really agree that the BOE is on to something. After all, why blame a teacher if the lunkheads he/she is trying to teach just don't get it. We know that their interest is anywhere but in the classroom or with the subjects they are being taught. If you don't want to learn, the best teachers in the world won't be able to teach you. Remember, we are talking here about New York City public school students. On the other hand, we do need metrics for competence, a concept the unions have been fighting since they established themselves. What better way to judge effectiveness than by test results.
I remain open minded on the question and invite feedback from my readers.
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Spirit Moves Me
I have friends and acquaintances who travel to Israel and return home full of wonder and delight and a sense of religious satisfaction, bringing back stories of charedi neighborhoods filled with talmidei chachomim in regulation garb learning torah day and night. The rest of the Israeli population is written off as not being worth even a footnote; on the contrary, they besmirch the pristine utopian image..
Obviously, my friends haven't spent even a minute amount of time exploring non-charedi neighborhoods.
I used to live in the Old City of Jerusalem which attracted, among others, every screwball from around the world but also anyone looking for a jolt of spirituality. What struck me was the interest in Judaism. Almost every conversation, on park benches, in cafes, or just among people walking the streets was about Torah or Halacha or the deeper philosophical questions of judaism. They weren't all observant but many jews were discussing the ins and outs of becoming more devoted to the minutiae of observance. The city of Jerusalem fairly overflows with spirituality.
Most of all, and unobserved and unremarked upon by my narrow minded friends is the teeming multitude of observant, working men and women who may not dress and conduct themselves like the stereotypical charedi jew that my friends consider to be the only acceptable model of true orthodoxy, but whose devotion to religious observance cannot be impugned. Throughout Jerusalem there are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of synagogues minyanim and study halls regularly visited by these throngs considered by some to be "less thans." Admittedly,a large percentage of the population of this divine city is non-observant, publicly eating non-permitted foods, dressing inappropriately, desecrating the Sabbath or otherwise demonstrating a contempt for Torah.Still, it is unfair to lump them together with those who are perfectly acceptable just because they may lack the long beard, earlocks and black clothing preferred by the chasidish and yeshivish population.
On my latest trip to Jerusalem which entailed a great deal of shopping, I was struck by the ubiquitous availability of minyanim in busy commercial centers, shopping malls and offices, attended by ordinary working men and even women. This would probably shock and surprise my study group buddies. I could not get over the dedication of these throngs of people who attended the minyanim in synagogues whose only purpose was for these afternoon minyanim; people taking the time out of a busy workday to spend a few moments praying to their creator.
If I forget you Jerusalem, may my right hand fail.
Obviously, my friends haven't spent even a minute amount of time exploring non-charedi neighborhoods.
I used to live in the Old City of Jerusalem which attracted, among others, every screwball from around the world but also anyone looking for a jolt of spirituality. What struck me was the interest in Judaism. Almost every conversation, on park benches, in cafes, or just among people walking the streets was about Torah or Halacha or the deeper philosophical questions of judaism. They weren't all observant but many jews were discussing the ins and outs of becoming more devoted to the minutiae of observance. The city of Jerusalem fairly overflows with spirituality.
Most of all, and unobserved and unremarked upon by my narrow minded friends is the teeming multitude of observant, working men and women who may not dress and conduct themselves like the stereotypical charedi jew that my friends consider to be the only acceptable model of true orthodoxy, but whose devotion to religious observance cannot be impugned. Throughout Jerusalem there are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of synagogues minyanim and study halls regularly visited by these throngs considered by some to be "less thans." Admittedly,a large percentage of the population of this divine city is non-observant, publicly eating non-permitted foods, dressing inappropriately, desecrating the Sabbath or otherwise demonstrating a contempt for Torah.Still, it is unfair to lump them together with those who are perfectly acceptable just because they may lack the long beard, earlocks and black clothing preferred by the chasidish and yeshivish population.
On my latest trip to Jerusalem which entailed a great deal of shopping, I was struck by the ubiquitous availability of minyanim in busy commercial centers, shopping malls and offices, attended by ordinary working men and even women. This would probably shock and surprise my study group buddies. I could not get over the dedication of these throngs of people who attended the minyanim in synagogues whose only purpose was for these afternoon minyanim; people taking the time out of a busy workday to spend a few moments praying to their creator.
If I forget you Jerusalem, may my right hand fail.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
SAVE ME FROM IDIOTS PLEASE
I apologize in advance, but I MUST rant. I just had a conversation with someone about a young man I know who is a little different, and needs a particular type of girl who will put up with his idiosyncrasies. So that person said, he needs a girl, maybe from that school in Monsey,_____. That happens to be the school that my daughter and nieces attend and have attended.
Knowing the gentleman in question, I was aware as to the mind set of the person I was talking to as to what she assumed was the quality of the girls from this school. I asked her how she had this information, and she admitted that she did not have it first hand, ( she lives in Brooklyn) and actually does not know ANY girls who attended that school, but it was what she had heard.
I then became extremely annoyed and informed this person that whatever negative information she has heard about the school is just wrong, and anyone who promulgated such unadulterated B.S. ( I don't think I abbreviated the word in the conversation.) is both wrong and evil. I felt compelled to inform her that it is one of the premier schools in Monsey, and has sterling girls and a top flight administration.
It is unbelievable to me the gossip and slander that people feel free to disseminate irrespective of the truth, and mindless to the damage that it can needlessly cause when it is completely untrue. They never stop to think that perhaps this sniping and bad-mouthing is nothing more than political jockeying from the different schools themselves. They never stop to think that what might have been true 20- 30 years ago might have changed. they never stop to think of the damage their mean spirited or worse, mindless, drivel can cause to perfectly fine girls from wonderful homes. Especially when the truth is the furthest thing from the stupidity they believe to be true.
I know the girls that go to this school. I know the parents that send their children to this school. I am familiar with the high academic level that the school is on, as well as the professionalism and caring of the principals. For anyone to say that this school is lower academically, or that the girls are not of the highest caliber is just wrong, and if they actually believe it then I suggest they remove their heads from the hole it is currently in to get some air.
Unfortunately, this is not a new problem, but you just can't fix stupid.
Knowing the gentleman in question, I was aware as to the mind set of the person I was talking to as to what she assumed was the quality of the girls from this school. I asked her how she had this information, and she admitted that she did not have it first hand, ( she lives in Brooklyn) and actually does not know ANY girls who attended that school, but it was what she had heard.
I then became extremely annoyed and informed this person that whatever negative information she has heard about the school is just wrong, and anyone who promulgated such unadulterated B.S. ( I don't think I abbreviated the word in the conversation.) is both wrong and evil. I felt compelled to inform her that it is one of the premier schools in Monsey, and has sterling girls and a top flight administration.
It is unbelievable to me the gossip and slander that people feel free to disseminate irrespective of the truth, and mindless to the damage that it can needlessly cause when it is completely untrue. They never stop to think that perhaps this sniping and bad-mouthing is nothing more than political jockeying from the different schools themselves. They never stop to think that what might have been true 20- 30 years ago might have changed. they never stop to think of the damage their mean spirited or worse, mindless, drivel can cause to perfectly fine girls from wonderful homes. Especially when the truth is the furthest thing from the stupidity they believe to be true.
I know the girls that go to this school. I know the parents that send their children to this school. I am familiar with the high academic level that the school is on, as well as the professionalism and caring of the principals. For anyone to say that this school is lower academically, or that the girls are not of the highest caliber is just wrong, and if they actually believe it then I suggest they remove their heads from the hole it is currently in to get some air.
Unfortunately, this is not a new problem, but you just can't fix stupid.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
THE LEAF
A leaf came to visit me the other day. It just popped onto my windshield at a light, waved to me, and then went on its way.
Now as the good Doctor starts its second year in blogdom, I shall mix it up a bit. Some of the blogs I read will have the random poem thrown in. I guess this is to show the literary dexterity of the authors. So I will do a little one here on my friend the leaf.
THE LEAF
A leaf came by to visit today
just to say hello, not to stay
Off the tree, across a field
to briefly rest on my windshield
he didn't stay long , just a moment
until another gust came, and away he went
but while he was there my day was a little brighter
and when he left, a little dimmer
its nice to have a quick dash of color in my day
pop in, cheer me up, then on your way
so good luck to you, my little leaf
having served your duty to your tree
you are now done, and completely free
Now as the good Doctor starts its second year in blogdom, I shall mix it up a bit. Some of the blogs I read will have the random poem thrown in. I guess this is to show the literary dexterity of the authors. So I will do a little one here on my friend the leaf.
THE LEAF
A leaf came by to visit today
just to say hello, not to stay
Off the tree, across a field
to briefly rest on my windshield
he didn't stay long , just a moment
until another gust came, and away he went
but while he was there my day was a little brighter
and when he left, a little dimmer
its nice to have a quick dash of color in my day
pop in, cheer me up, then on your way
so good luck to you, my little leaf
having served your duty to your tree
you are now done, and completely free
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Rememeber to Dot your "i" s....
I needed to get a blood test recently, to check some of my levels. It took a bit of cajoling to get the prescription out of my doctor, who happens to be a friend of mine as well. he finally sent it and I was just waiting until after the holidays so my numbers would look better.
I needed to do it on a 12 hour fast, which is tough for me because I am rarely home the same time these labs are open, and I can't really do it early in the morning because I get home ( and eat) so late at night.
So I decided to take care of it on Friday, when I would try to get there on my way home. This by itself is tricky, as the day is short and the lab tends to be creepily slow.
So, I didn't eat any dinner Thursday night, went to Brooklyn for a meeting Friday morning, ( no coffee) worked and drove home ( still no coffee, when I do a fast, I really do a fast). Got home around 2:30 and went to the lab. When I got there, there was a line, and I had neither the time nor patience to wait, so I took the girls ( who were with me) to the library, and I figured I would try again on my way home.
Now the lab is on a main street, and it gets real busy Friday afternoons, but I felt I should really take care of it, so I went back to the lab, eve though I saw that the traffic between the lab and my way home was already backed up at 3:30.
I went inside. no line, just me. Great. I gave my prescription to the technician and had a seat stomach grumbling. I told it to wait another ten minutes.
About five minutes later she calls me over and tells me she can't do the test because the prescription isn't signed.
I love my doctor, but he is killing me.
I needed to do it on a 12 hour fast, which is tough for me because I am rarely home the same time these labs are open, and I can't really do it early in the morning because I get home ( and eat) so late at night.
So I decided to take care of it on Friday, when I would try to get there on my way home. This by itself is tricky, as the day is short and the lab tends to be creepily slow.
So, I didn't eat any dinner Thursday night, went to Brooklyn for a meeting Friday morning, ( no coffee) worked and drove home ( still no coffee, when I do a fast, I really do a fast). Got home around 2:30 and went to the lab. When I got there, there was a line, and I had neither the time nor patience to wait, so I took the girls ( who were with me) to the library, and I figured I would try again on my way home.
Now the lab is on a main street, and it gets real busy Friday afternoons, but I felt I should really take care of it, so I went back to the lab, eve though I saw that the traffic between the lab and my way home was already backed up at 3:30.
I went inside. no line, just me. Great. I gave my prescription to the technician and had a seat stomach grumbling. I told it to wait another ten minutes.
About five minutes later she calls me over and tells me she can't do the test because the prescription isn't signed.
I love my doctor, but he is killing me.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Election thoughts ( only one post, relax)
Just a quick one on politics now that this election period is over, and I have been really good.
I am glad Mayor moron won only because the alternative would have been Dinkins redux, and in a time when we are having Carter redux, I really have no desire to go back to that time in our City's history as well. However, aside from the megalomaniac that is Mr. Bloomberg who flaunted HIS OWN rules and bought another term, the silent tax of 10 million parking tickets last year at the higher rates that he imposed is going to continue to drive out the middle class.
The only reason why the press is saying that the election is not a referendum on Obama is because the candidates he backed and stumped for lost. Had it gone the other way, every pundit would be saying he has a mandate. One analyst said that the republicans came out to vote against Obama, believe it.
Lets just hope the trend continues before we get into a mess that will take generations to extricate ourselves and recover from.
I am glad Mayor moron won only because the alternative would have been Dinkins redux, and in a time when we are having Carter redux, I really have no desire to go back to that time in our City's history as well. However, aside from the megalomaniac that is Mr. Bloomberg who flaunted HIS OWN rules and bought another term, the silent tax of 10 million parking tickets last year at the higher rates that he imposed is going to continue to drive out the middle class.
The only reason why the press is saying that the election is not a referendum on Obama is because the candidates he backed and stumped for lost. Had it gone the other way, every pundit would be saying he has a mandate. One analyst said that the republicans came out to vote against Obama, believe it.
Lets just hope the trend continues before we get into a mess that will take generations to extricate ourselves and recover from.
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