What is a Degree Worth?--part #2

Let me repeat the comment that formed the basis for part #1 of this posting.

"Let's keep in mind that today a B.A. is totally worthless. IMHO it is great that these girls can speedily finish their B.A.'s and get on to their Masters."

What follows will be commentary on the second part of the comment: " IMHO it is great that these girls can speedily finish their B.A.'s and get on to their Masters." The comment was made in reference to the one-year B.A. programs that have proliferated in the frum community, particularly for girls, and particularly in the fields of special education and the various therapy fields--yes, you are reading that correctly: one-year programs. Many of these programs are completed as a shana bet year in an Israeli seminary; some are particular to the US. And in some cases it takes a mere one to two years to earn both the B.A. and the M.A.

So let's look at the words "worth" and "worthless" defined as having value because something is useful. The jobs in the US that pay the most, that are the most prestigious, require a college degree at minimum; many also require a graduate degree. In that sense it is quite useful for the girls in the condensed programs to get their B.A.s and M.A.s as quickly as possible; the sooner they are degreed, the sooner they can begin working. But working where?

Many of the condensed degrees are in limudei kodesh. The others are mostly in the field of education, psychology and the therapy fields. Where are the holders of these degrees applying for jobs, for the most part? In yeshivas and in special programs geared towards yeshiva students. A few, particularly those with psych or therapy degrees, will become independent contractors, in general targeting the frum community as their customer base. Why?

One reason is that they want to "stay in the fold" while working, thus avoiding what they see as the problems in the secular work world. But when they stay in the frum world they are negating some of the benefits of having gotten a B.A. and an M.A.. In general, yeshivas do not pay salaries at as high a rate as is available in the public school system. The further right you go, the lower the salary. Many of these yeshivas do not offer benefits such as health insurance and 403Bs. So what have the holders of these degrees actually purchased for themselves? What is the value/usefulness of their condensed degrees? The value is lower than that of the "regular" degrees; their degrees cannot be/aren't used to purchase jobs at the highest levels of salary and benefits. Yes, yeshivas might pay them a bit more than those girls who come to teach straight out of one year of seminary (or none), but they are not on par with those who work in the secular world.

But what about the yeshivas more to the left, the "very MO" yeshivas and day schools? This from a principal of one of those schools: "We have enough applicants to teach in our school that we can pick from the very best. Everyone teaching in our secular studies department has at least a B.A. and from a recognized college. We don't take the graduates of the diploma mills."

But what about those who aren't going into teaching but who got degrees in psych and the therapies? At a faculty meeting last week this very topic came up, as the diploma mills are representing "competition" for the college I am teaching in. Those who teach in my department are a mix of public school/yeshiva teachers, department chairs, administrators, and those who are only teaching on the college level. They have broad exposure to the systems that would employ those girls with the psych and therapy degrees. First, the public schools won't take them; the degrees aren't "good enough." Second, many yeshiva parents, particularly those with children who legitimately require the services of a psychologist or therapist, are refusing to allow their children to be treated by the "professionals" that come out of the diploma mills. Many of these same parents were in favor of such programs until there was suddenly a link between those programs and their children's needs for treatment. These parents want the best for their children, and they aren't applying "best" to the diploma mill graduates.

Third, regarding the therapy graduates, a call to the head of therapy at SI University Hospital brought the information that for state licencing in any of the therapies a student must have gone through a recognized program of clinical internship as part of their studies. They only accept students from recognized schools that are fully accredited by accreditation associations they trust and which provide the type of education and training they believe are necessary for someone to be a competent therapist. This past year they had two interns from Touro; they have had others in the past. They have never taken in anyone from any of the overseas diploma mills, nor from the in-town diploma mills.

So, the usefulness of the diploma mill diplomas is limited. If the holders of such degrees want to roost in the frummer schools, they may find a job. After all, why would such yeshivas want to pay full price for a better credentialed teacher/psychologist/therapist when they can get one for cheaper? If they have the intention of taking their degrees out into the general working world they are going to find themselves in competition with others whose diplomas are valued higher. Years ago when I needed short term speech therapy for one of my children I interviewed a few different therapists. The first thing I asked about was their degree and their ASHA certification. Why would I have wanted to take a chance on someone whose training was not the best? I don't use a witch doctor to treat any physical maladies my family has; why would I settle for the equivalent when it comes to education/psychology or any type of therapy?

There are all kinds of costs involved in getting college degrees and in using them. Yes, a diploma from a diploma mill may cost less initially, but they are never going to earn as much for the holders as the "better" diplomas do. "Cost less" now may translate into "earn less" later. In addition, "cost less" also translates into "know less," and what is the value in that?

Just a thought: aside from the costs involved in going to college for a longer time, why would there be such a push to have girls in particular get through their higher education at such a fast pace? It should be obvious--those girls getting the "speed" degrees are going to be in the shidduch parsha either during or immediately after getting the degrees. Delaying looking for a shidduch is an absolute no-no. There is a need for these girls to be able to support their families while their husbands are learning and/or getting an education or training to be used later on.

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009.

There are some time periods about which the best we can say of them is they will be over soon. 2008 will end at midnight tonight--about time. It's been a difficult year economically and also because of world events that have taken place. Many problems that face the general public and the frum communities specifically have come to the forefront. It hasn't been pleasant to have to face realities that we've been avoiding until we couldn't avoid them any longer.

But 2008 is fast on its way out the door. 2009 is a brand new, fresh year. In 2009 we can face all our problems with strength and determination. We can come up with solutions and put them into place. We can change what needs to be changed. We can be innovative and creative. 2009 is a clean slate and we can influence what will be written on that slate. WE can do it if WE pull together.

And while we are at it, let's all have a Happy New Year!

Those Were the Days

For the better part of a year people have been walking around in deep denial; things couldn't possibly be as bad as others were making them out to be. Until recently no one wanted to name the economic mess we are in by it's real name: a recession. Some people hoped that if they just took a deep breath and looked the other way that things would go back to "normal." Other people took the view that if they just carried on with business as usual that things would right themselves automatically. But here we are in the last month of the year and there is no way to put off facing the truth any longer: we've got problems. Those halcyon days of yesteryear are just that: gone. We can't afford to live looking backwards at what was any longer; we need to face what is our lot right now.

But yes, the nostalgia for the good times of the past tugs at us: the dreams of yesterday die hard. Nor are we the only generation ever to face what we face now, and to sigh for what once was. The music of our pop culture stands as a record of the yearnings of the past for what no longer is. And yes,


Those Were the Days

(Music & Lyrics: Gene Raskin; performed by Mary Hopkins)(1968 based on a Russian folk song)
Once upon a time there was a tavern
Where we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
And dreamed of all the great things we would do

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days

Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days

Just tonight I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw a strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days

Through the door there came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friend we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDVhB0jGP7I (Those who are makpid on Kol Isha might want to avoid going to this video because Mary Hopkins does the singing)

"Those Were The Days"
by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse

Theme song for "All in the Family"

Boy, the way Glenn Miller played. Songs that made the Hit Parade.
Guys like us, we had it made. Those were the days.
Didn't need no welfare state. Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee, our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days.

And you know who you were then. Girls were girls and men were men.
Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again.
People seemed to be content. Fifty dollars paid the rent.
Freaks were in a circus tent. Those were the days.

Take a little Sunday spin, go to watch the Dodgers win.
Have yourself a dandy day that cost you under a fin.
Hair was short and skirts were long. Kate Smith really sold a song.
I don't know just what went wrong. Those Were The Days.

Not Intended to be Spreading Any Rumors...

Both on Shabbos and yesterday a "newsflash" was making the rounds that a well-known yeshiva in Brooklyn under Sefardi auspices was at the point of being closed down. Apparently teachers have not been paid for some time and there is no money to continue running the school. I am purposely not naming the school because I cannot verify all the information. I am bringing this up not to fan a rumor, but to point out that what the blogs have been saying for some time just may be starting to happen.

Schools who depend on donating "angels" are ill prepared to face a life without those angels. Financial policies in a lot of schools are contrary to accepted business practices. No matter how you may want to think otherwise, a private school--what a yeshiva is--is a business operation. Unless and until the financial portion of a yeshiva is put under the control of someone other than the head of the school, and is handled objectively by those with the financial knowledge and skills required, then not only rumors of closings but actual closings are sure to come about.

A few years ago such a rumor would never have seen the light of day. Yeshivas always seemed to find someone with deep pockets to bail them out when needed. Well folks, those deep pockets aren't so deep any more. Maybe something good will come out of this economic hole we're in. Maybe yeshivas will finally be forced to do what they don't seem willing to do voluntarily. I know of the yeshiva that is rumored to be closing. They had/have an excellent reputation. Their teacher salaries were always on the higher end. They paid on time. They provided all types of services to their students. They had money backing them up the wazoo. If financial woes can attack this school, well you guess about the others.

What is a Degree Worth--part #1

The following comment appeared in the comments on an Orthonomics posting a while back:

"Let's keep in mind that today a B.A. is totally worthless. IMHO it is great that these girls can speedily finish their B.A.'s and get on to their Masters."

So a B.A is totally worthless? Just what does "worthless" mean, or its opposite "worth"? One definition for these words is money-based; worthless has no monetary value and worth means that something has monetary value. So what is a B.A. worth in terms of money?

"In 2005, median earnings for full-time workers with a bachelor’s degree between the ages of 25 and 34 were $13,900 more than the median earnings of full-time workers with only a high-school diploma. The difference in the 45 to 54 age group was $22,900. Those with higher degrees (master’s, doctorate and so on) earn between $8,800 more than those with a bachelor’s degree for the age group 25-34 and $11,600 for those ages 35 to 44.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the average full-time year-round worker with a four-year college degree earned $54,689 in 2005; compare that with the $29,448 a worker with only a high-school diploma earned.

Over their working lives, as calculated by the College Board, this income gap means that typical college graduates can expect to earn about 73% more than typical high-school graduates. Likewise, those with advanced degrees can expect to earn two to three times as much." (http://planit.cuna.org/013178/article.php?doc_id=25)

A different source had this to say: " How much is higher education worth in cold hard money? A college masters degree is worth $1.3 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school diploma, according to a recent report from the Commerce Department's Census Bureau.
The report titled "The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings" (.pdf) reveals that over an adult's working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor's degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master's degree, $2.5 million. Persons with doctoral degrees earn an average of $3.4 million during their working life, while those with professional degrees do best at $4.4 million. [The figures are based on 1999 earnings projected over a typical work life, defined as the period from ages 25 through 64.]

Based on the information above (and other sites I went to basically all said the same thing), a B.A. is not a worthless degree, certainly not as far as money is concerned. How much that degree is worth can depend on the area majored in; some professions pay higher salaries than others do. And how much that degree is worth can also depend on where the degree comes from. It's a fact of life that degrees from some colleges and universities bring with them higher starting salaries (and better job opportunities), thus higher lifetime earnings, than are given to graduates of other colleges and universities.

And while those with an M.A. will earn more over a lifetime, that estimate of earnings has a wide range. A lot depends on what that M.A. or M.S. is in. It depends on whether or not the degree holder is working full time or part time. And yes, it depends on from where the degree holder got the degree.

So no, a B.A. is not worthless if we are using money as the standard of judgement. And given that the estimate of the number of people in the country with graduate degrees of all types is about 9.4% of the population, then the B.A. (at about 54% of the population) is valuable to far more people.

Waste Not, Want Not

It should come as no surprise to readers here that I hate, positively HATE wasted food. For my parents, who had known great want during the camps in WWII, the idea of throwing out food was just not possible. Nothing ever got "lost" in the wilds of the refrigerator; every little bit contributed to another meal down the road.

I imagine that most people manage to use up what they have cooked for regular meals during the week. The problem arises more with special occasion meals and occasions. No baalabusta wants to be seen as skimping on the food she serves to guests. Tables groan under the weight of the goodies on them. But then the guests leave and the baalabusta is left with the quandary of what to do with the mega leftovers. Some of those leftovers will clearly become part of the week's food offerings. Some of those leftovers freeze well, so they are put away for later use. But inevitably there are going to be items that no one wants to see again, whether now or later. What can be done with those leftovers that need to find a home quickly?

If they are items that came from a takehome food store, there are yeshivas and food programs that will take the food. Our local Ezras Achim will take care of the distribution should you have this type of food available. Ditto for items still in their packages. So, try your local group and see if they can help you out.

But what about food that has already been cooked, and cooked in your home? Most yeshivas and shuls will not take in home cooked food. Do you have a neighbor/family member that you are close with and in whose house you have eaten before and vice versa? Consider switching leftovers with them. Consider sending home "care packages" with some of your guests. Gift a busy neighbor with an already cooked meal or a dish or two.

And then there is this. The following question was asked of our Rav and was also asked of a Rav in the LI area: can you donate food to non-Jewish organizations? Both Ravs said yes, if it is not food that can be donated to Jewish organizations. Our area has a number of non-denominational food kitchens that feed the hungry. This time of year, and because of the economic situation, they are feeding more people than ever before. You may look at that home cooked food that you don't know what to do with as a problem, but these community organizations look at that food as a solution. Someone I know made a simcha and the caterer prepared way more than was necessary, food she was going to have to pay for. She donated as much as she could to the Jewish organizations that would take food from this caterer. The rest a friend took over to an agency that feeds the homeless. A mitzvah instead of an aveira.

No matter what the reason for that leftover food, there is someone out there who would welcome it. Tossing food in the garbage should not be an option.

Mumbai--Still There

Mumbai may have passed into memory for most people--just another awful thread in the tapestry of bad things happening to Jewish people. But it isn't just another bad memory for some people. And me, personally, I applaud the resolve it took for the people involved in the article below to do what they did. You can knock us down but we are going to get up again--that you can count on.


By Rina Chandran Reuters Thursday, December 25, 2008; 12:00 PM
MUMBAI (Reuters) - The parents of a rabbi and his wife slain in last month's Mumbai attack lit a menorah outside a badly damaged Jewish center on Thursday, vowing the centre's work would continue.
Rabbi Nachman Holtzberg of New York, father of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, gathered with other community leaders outside the Chabad-Lubavitch center at Nariman House as part of Hanukah celebrations.
The center was one of 10 sites attacked by Islamist militants in India's financial center on November 26-29. The attacks, blamed by India and the United States on Pakistan-based militants, killed at least 179 people.
Watched by dozens of police and onlookers gathered in the busy street, Nachman Holtzberg recited blessings before a group of rabbis led the delegation in prayer. The parents of Gavriel Holtzberg's wife Rivka were also present.
"This home was open to everyone," said Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch. "Its activities will continue."
Parts of the six-storey Nariman House, which was nearly destroyed in a siege after gunmen stormed in, have been knocked down by city authorities and a team is assessing damage to the rest of the building, Kotlarsky said.
"Just a few weeks ago, this city suffered a great atrocity, and tonight we mourn the loss of the young rabbi and his wife who moved to Mumbai to be emissaries," Kotlarsky said.
"We also celebrate the victory of right over wrong, and we are committed to continuing the legacy of Gavriel and Rivka. We won't take even one baby step back. We are not leaving Mumbai."
The rabbi's 2-year-old son Moshe, who was saved by his nanny and is now with his grandparents in Israel, will return to Mumbai, Kotlarsky said.
Gavriel Holtzberg came to Mumbai in 2003 to run a synagogue and Torah classes as part of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, an Orthodox Jewish group which has about 4,000 emissaries at more than 3,000 sites around the world.
Fewer than 5,000 Jews remain among India's 1.1 billion people, but the faith has a long history in the country, with the first established community thought to have been formed in the southern state of Kerala in 70 AD.
(Editing by Andrew Roche)

Gift Giving--Tis a Puzzlement

I had a little conversation with a friend today who is decidedly grumpy about some of the Chanukah presents she received. The conversation started out with "I realllllllly don't mean to be unappreciative BUT...." I surely knew what was coming next.

Sometimes people want to buy other people a gift for Chanukah (or for other occasions as well) and are totally flummoxed about what to buy. Sometimes these people say "What do you get for someone who already has everything?" This may be particularly applicable to older people who have had more time to collect the things they want. Sometimes the giver of a gift doesn't know the preferences of the recipient. Sometimes the givers are intimately acquainted with the person they wish to gift, but still have no clue as to what to get. But resolutely these potential givers go forth and brave the malls and stores. And oh yes, the stores are just waiting for these people. There are zillions of sales people just ready and waiting to help you out with your choice and who will tell you "She'll/he'll just love this! Trust me!"

What's the one thing that these givers don't usually do? They don't ask the recipient what they would like. Or if they feel uncomfortable in asking directly, they don't send an "elf" (think child in the house or a spouse) to find out.

So Chanukah comes and you dig into the brightly wrapped gifts full of happy anticipation. And then the gift comes into view. One of the gifts my friend received was a waffle maker, the kind with fancy shaped waffles. That she got this from one of her married children made it even more of a disappointment. This friend has all her children married and out of the house. She never made waffles while the kids were living at home. She and her husband don't eat them. So, why a waffle maker? The comment from the giver--and echoed by her other children--was: "This is great mom! You'll be able to make all these terrific waffles when your grandchildren come over!" She also received a bottle of a very expensive perfume--the only problem is the scent is not one she wears and she really doesn't like the smell.

So many gifts sit and molder or become pass along gifts because the giver didn't follow one basic rule: when in doubt, ask! I suggested to my friend that next year she hand her kids a list with a whole bunch of items on it, items that she wouldn't mind receiving. If that doesn't appeal then go the gift certificate route so that the recipient can get something they really want and will enjoy. Yes, a gift has to please the giver, but it should first please the person getting it.

A Chanukah Present Across the Generations

Way back when, one the the stellar performers of the time was a Danish pianist and comedian by the name of Victor Borge. I remember many an evening spent with my parents and siblings watching him perform on television--despite the age differences, we all loved him. When I arrived in New York I spent my first year in Stern College. There was no money to fly me home for our intersession so I stayed in the dormitory with the other handful of students who also could not get home. We entertained ourselves for that week and the real highlight was when we were able to get student tickets to see Victor Borge perform at Carnegie Hall. The enchantment of that night has remained with me all these years.

So thank you to Youtube for the many video clips of Victor in performance. He was a gifted pianist but also a comedian with an incredible sense of timing. His facial expressions were incredible as well. So as a Chanukah present to those of you born well after Victor's star was no longer visible, may I suggest a few moments with Victor Borge's Phonetic Pronunciation. I think you'll be pleased by the gift. And do take a few moments to view some of the other clips of Victor in performance. Should you not like the gift, well, there's always next year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF4qii8S3gw&feature=related

Keeping the Record Straight

Just in case anyone still questions why a solid education in the English language is necessary, the following are actual notes from hospital charts. Thanks to my cousin who sent me these saying, "It's not just your students!"


1. The patient refused autopsy.
2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.
3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husbandstates she was very hot in bed last night.
5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
6. On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
9. Discharge status: Alive but without permission.
10. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
11. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
12. She is numb from her toes down.
13. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.
14. The skin was moist and dry.
15. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
16. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.18. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
19. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
20. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
21. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
22. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
23. Skin: somewhat pale but present.
24. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
25. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.

A Chanukah Gift for Mothers

Those who are mothers (and those who have mothers) should appreciate the sentiments in the linked video.

With no apologies to William Tell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6P2w5GkXmU

Mortgaging Education

There have been a lot of ideas floated about how to fix the tuition for yeshiva education problem. There is a discussion that has been going on this week at Orthonomics on this subject (http://orthonomics.blogspot.com/) and some good ideas have been fielded. But I've been trying to think out of the box about this problem and I'm wondering if what follows might not be a viable solution.

There is a possibility which I've never heard mentioned but which might be a real option: educational mortgages. Instead of condensing yeshiva payments into 12-13 years for each child, a contract could be taken out with a yeshiva for 25-30 years, just as home mortgages are taken out now. There are benefits that would accrue to the parents with this option and that would accrue to yeshivas as well.

Children usually start school at a point in their parents' lives where those parents are not earning as much as they hopefully will be earning later. There may be only one working parent when the kids start school. Buying an "educational mortgage" would allow parents to give their children a yeshiva education on terms they could afford.

Parents who could afford a lower "down payment" when "buying" their children's education would be paying less over the time of the mortgage. Those with sufficient funds to be able to pay down the total early would be paying no or little interest on their mortgages. And yes, there might be some people who didn't require a mortgage at all because the funds were available to purchase the education outright. Those with minimal funds available would have longer to pay for the education purchased. Presumably SAHMs--or dads who are not yet working--eventually go out to work, and eventually they could be contributing to the remainder of payments on the education mortgage. Regardless, the person paying for that education would be the one that purchased and used it.

Just as with a banking institution, if a "borrower" applied to take out a mortgage and it was clear that said borrower could not be reasonably expected to be able to make any of the payments, perhaps now or perhaps later, then the "lender" could require a co-signatory who would stand as guarantee on the loan. Grandparents would then have the option of deciding to guarantee such loans, and for how long and in what amounts, rather than being hounded by yeshivas to pay what their children can't. Or the lender could be brutally honest and tell the potential borrower that they can't afford this school--find something cheaper that you can afford.

As with regular home mortgages, when interest rates "go down" (perhaps the school has received a large contribution from a donator that will reduce how much money is needed from parents in tuition) the mortgage can be renegotiated.

Of course, this would also require that educational mortgage lenders be regularly, openly and competently regulated to make sure that the terms of the mortgages they grant are in line with accepted business practices. They would no longer be able to give preferential treatment to "customers" based on family relationships or "yichus." Contracts would have to be realistic and conform to standards that apply to everyone. But the advantage is that schools would have a steady, known stream of income.

Tuition help could thus be eliminated or reserved for true emergency cases--perhaps a widowed parent whose family income is suddenly in jeopardy, someone who has suddenly lost a job and needs a "bridge loan" until a new job is found, or perhaps c"v a family with sudden catastrophic medical bills.

And with all the different types of schools out there, with their differing cost structures, parents might have to pick the type of education mortgage they can afford, rather than buying in to something they will never, ever have a hope of paying off. And maybe some schools will become more affordable if the schools can plan their activities and expenses around steady amounts of money being available to them. Yes, maybe tuition would become lower because schools would not need to be constantly raising tuition costs to get some money out of those with ready capital available now.

Maybe we will have learned from the sub-prime mortgage lending mess out in the secular world. Schools really cannot afford to be giving away something for nothing all based on the hope that some people with money will bail them out if they get in trouble. Realistically structured "education mortgages" are one way that could help us out with the tuition crunch we are presently facing.

A New Take on An Old Song

Chanukah has arrived, and with it comes songs that have become traditional here in the States. One of those "must sings" is the dreidle song. You know, the one that begins "I have a little dreidle, I made it out of clay." I ran across an interesting site--THE HAVA NASHIRA SITE,A JEWISH SONGLEADERS RESOURCE--that offers a whole slew of new takes on this old song. I'm reproducing some of their offerings below in the hopes that a good laugh will overcome the nastiness the weather is slinging outside the windows.

Compiled by Marcy Mirkin
I have a little dreidel I made it out of wood And when I spin my dreidel I always feel so good
I H A L D I made it out of plastic And when I spin my dreidel I always feel fantastic
I H A L D I made it out of bread It looked so very yummy I ate it up instead
IHALD I made it out of snow But when I looked last summer Where did my dreidel go?
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of glass, My mom says I can spin it, But only on the grass!
I have a little dreidel, It’s made out of a shoe, It smells a little funny, But what can you do?
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of fur, It was warm and cuddly, And the spinning made it purr!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of snow I baked it in the oven... Where'd my dreidel go?
I have a little dreidel, I carved it from a log And when I threw it on the floor it nearly killed the dog
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of plastic I put a gimel on every side, that dreidel is fantastic!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of soap I carved a shin on every side, why am I such a dope?
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of soap I put it in the bathtub To see if it would float
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of glue The baby tried to spin it, and now she's spinning too
I have a little dreidel, I made it from cement And now our lovely hardwood floor has a nasty dent
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of gin That dreidel wouldn't turn, but the room began to spin
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of pasta It got all tangled in my hair, and now they call me "rasta"
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of gum, And when I tried to spin it, it stuck to my thumb!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of fire, I tried to tell my mommy, she thought I was a liar!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of dirt, And when I tried to spin it, I got a dirty shirt!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of egg, I dropped it on the floor one day, and the yolk spun down my leg!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of cloth, I put it in the closet, it got eaten by a moth!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of pencils, And when I tried to spin it, it made a circle stencil!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of pearls, I showed it to my friends, it's the envy of the girls!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of ice It melted when I spun it, that wasn't very nice!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of meat I can't stand to be near it it smells just like my feet
I have a little dreidle, I made it out of mud and when I tried to spin it, I found it was a dud
I have a little dreidle, I made it out of pot and when it started spinning, I just sat and stared at it a lot
I have a little dreidle, I made it out of shmaltz it don't make healthy eatin' but, that dreidle sure can waltz
I made a little dreidle in virtual reality. If you wear the right headgear, it's there for you to see.
I had a little dreidle, I made it out of latke. I left it on the shelf and it turned into vodka.
I had a little dreidle, I made it out of sand, but when I went to spin it, it crumbled in my hand.
I had a little dreidle, I made it out of air, but when I went to spin it, it wasn't even there!
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of clay, Said a Kabbalistic blessing and it got up and walked away
I had a little dreydl, I made it from a broom I think I'll try to talk it into cleaning up my room
I had a little dreydl, I made it from a bush But, when I tried to lift it, It knocked me on my tush
I had a little dreydl, I made it out of meat Forget about the spinning, let's all sit down and eat
I had a little dreydl, I made it from a guitar And if it's not too heavy, I will put it in my car.
I have a little dreidl, I made it out of metal And if it doesn't spin at all, I'll use it for a kettle!
I have a little dreidl, I made it from gefilte fish My mother served it for Shabbat, but it spun right off my dish!
I had a little dreidl, I made it out of a Reese's peanut butter cup; I never got to play with it, because I ate it up!
I have a little dreidl, I made it on my pc It's really fun to spin it in virtual reality.
I have a little dreidle, I made it out of rice it wasn't great for spinning, but it tasted rather nice
I have a little dreidle, I made it from a chip and when I tried to spin it, it jumped into the dip
I have a little dreidle, I made it out of lox it tastes good on a bagel, but it smells worse than my socks
I have a little dreidle, I made it out of straw! It went 80 miles an hour, and broke the speeding law!!
I have a little dreydle, I made it out of mud, and when I went to spin it, it fell down with a thud.
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of clay, and when I tried to eat it My tummy went "oy vey"
I have a little dreidel, I made it from a stone A little doggie ate it, cause he thought it was a bone!
My dreidel's very lucky, it wins at every game I¹ll let you know my secret, the letters are all the same!
I had a little dreydle, I made it in my mind, and imaginary dreydle, is the hardest one to find.
Yesh li sevivon katan, asui mizahav, Hu matana meabba, bo, n'sachek achshav
I have a little dreidel, it¹s made out of guitars, I put it in a rocket ship, and it blasted right off to Mars!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of wood My little brother ate it cause he thought it tasted good!

Compiled by Rick Lupert
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of chocolate, but when I went to spin it, it had melted in my pocket.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of mud and when I tried to spin it I found it was a dud
I have a little dreidel I made it out of pot and when it started spinning I just sat and stared at it a lot
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of bread, It looked so very yummy, I ate it up instead!
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of Jelly beans. And when I tried to spin it, it blew to smithereens.
I have a little latka, I made it out of clay And when I tried to eat it, my stomach said Oy Vey!
I had a little dreidel I made it from a broom I think I'll try to talk it into cleaning up my room
I had a little dreidel I made it from a bush But, when I tried to lift it, It knocked me on my tush
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of a road. And when I tried to spin it, it smashed a little toad.
I had a little dreidel, I made it from a rock. But when I tried to spin it, it turned into a block.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of hair. When I tried to spin it, it was just barely there.
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of dust. But when I tried to spin it, it blew away with a gust
I have a little dreidel, I made if from a stone, A little doggie ate it, he thought it was a bone.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of light, But for some strange reason, it only works at night.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of wood, I set it on fire, then it didn't spin so good.
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of wood, and when I went to spin it, it spun just like it should.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of wood, My little brother ate it, he thought it tasted good.
I had a little dreidel I made it out of meat Forget about the spinning Let's all sit down and eat
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of meat I can't stand to be near it -- it smells just like my feet
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of string, And when I went to spin it, it began to sing.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of spice, And when I went to spin it, it smelled really nice.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of light, But for some strange reason, it only works at night.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of bubbles, But whenever I spin it, I can only see in doubles.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of pickles, And when I put it on my hand, it always spins and tickles.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of leather, And when I throw it in the air, it grows a little feather.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of broccoli, and when it's dry and ready, I fed it to my doggie
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of metal And if it doesn't spin at all, I'll use it for a kettle!
I have a little dreidel, I made it from gefilte fish My mother served it for Shabbat, but it spun right off my dish!
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of a Reese's peanut butter cup I never got to play with it, because I ate it up!
I have a little dreidel, I made it on my pc It's really fun to spin it in virtual reality.
I have a little dreidel, I made it out of Boron It spun into my SEND key, So tell me, who's the moron?
I have a little dreidel I made it out of rice it wasn't great for spinning but it tasted rather nice
I have a little dreidel I made it from a chip and when I tried to spin it it jumped into the dip
I have a little dreidel I made it out of lox it tastes good on a bagel but it smells worse than my socks
I have a little dreidel, I made it in my mind, my imaginary dreidel is very hard to find.
yesh li sevivon katan asui mizahav hu matana me-abba bo, n'sachek achshav

From Linda Barton
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of glass My mom said when I spin it, to spin it on the grass.
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of wood, and when I went to spin it, it spun just like it should.
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of ice, but when I went to spin it, it melted...that's not nice!!
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of mud, and when I went to spin it, it fell down with a thud. (a real stretch!)

Compiled by Mike Duchin
IHALD, I made it out of air, and when I tried to spin it, it wasn't really there.
IHALD, I made it out of bread, it looked so very yummy, I ate it up instead.
IHALD, I made it from a bush, but when I tried to lift it, it knocked me on my tush!
IHALD, I made it from a broom, I think I¹ll try to talk it into cleaning up my room!
IHALD, I made it from cement, and now our lovely hardwood floor has a nasty dent
IHALD, I made it from a chip, and when I tried to spin it, it jumped into the dip
IHALD, I made it out of chocolate, but when I went to spin it, it had melted in my pocket.
IHALD I made it out of clay, and when I tried to eat it, my tummy went "no way"!
IHALD, I made it out of cloth, I put it in the closet, it got eaten by a moth!
IHALD, I made it out of dirt, and when I tried to spin it, I got a dirty shirt!
IHALD, I made it out of dust, but when I tried to spin it, it blew away with a gust
IHALD, I made it out of egg, I dropped it on the floor, and the yolk spun down my leg!
IHALD, I made it out of fire, I tried to tell my mommy, she thought I was a liar!
IHALD, I made it out of fur, it was warm and cuddly, and the spinning made it purr!
IHALD, I made it from a guitar, and if it's not too heavy, I will put it in my car.
IHALD, it¹s made out of guitars, I put it in a rocket ship, and it blasted right off to Mars!
IHALD, I made it out of glue, the baby tried to spin it, and now she's spinning too!
IHALD, I made it out of gum, and when I tried to spin it, it stuck right to my thumb!
IHALD, I made it out of hair, when I tried to spin it, it was just barely there.
IHALD I made it out of ice, it melted when I spun it, which wasn't very nice.
IHALD, I made it out of Jelly beans, and when I tried to spin it, it blew to smithereens.
I have a little latka, I made it out of clay, and when I tried to eat it, my stomach said Oy Vey!
IHALD, I made it out of leather, and when I throw it in the air, it grows a little feather.
IHALD, I made it out of light, but for some strange reason, it only works at night.
IHALD, I carved it from a log, and when I threw it on the floor it nearly killed the dog
IHALD, I made it out of lox, it tastes good on a bagel, but it smells worse than my socks
My dreidel¹s very lucky, it wins at every game, I¹ll let you know my secret, the letters are all the same!
IHALD I made it out of meat, forget about the spinning Let's all sit down and eat
IHALD, I made it out of metal, and if it doesn't spin at all, I'll use it for a kettle!
IHALD, I made it in my mind, an imaginary dreydle, is the hardest one to find.
IHALD, I made it out of an orange, it spun so fast and crazy that it smacked into a door hinge!
IHALD, I made it out of pasta, it got all tangled in my hair, and now they call me "rasta"
I have a little dreidl, I made it on my pc, it's really fun to spin it in virtual reality.
IHALD, I made it out of pearls, I showed it to my friends, it's the envy of the girls!
IHALD, I made it out of peas. When I tried to spin it, it dripped right down my knees.
IHALD, I made it out of pencil, and when I tried to spin it, it made a circle stencil!
IHALD, I made it out of pickles, and when I put it on my hand, it always spins and tickles.
IHALD, I made it out of plastic, I put a gimel on every side, that dreidel is fantastic!
IHALD, I made it out of a Reese's peanut butter cup, I never got to play with it, because I ate it up!
IHALD, I made it out of a road, and when I tried to spin it, it smashed a little toad.
IHALD, I made it from a rock, but when I tried to spin it, it turned into a block.
IHALD I made it out of sand, and when I spun my dreidle, it slipped right through my hand.
IHALD, I put it on the shelf, and if you'd like more verses, you can make them up yourself!!
IHALD, it's made out of a shoe, it smells a little funny, but then what can you do?
IHALD, I made it out of snow. But when I looked last summer, where did my dreidel go?
IHALD, I made it out of soap, I put it in the bathtub to see if it would float
IHALD, I made it out of spice, and when I went to spin it, it smelled really nice.
IHALD, I made it from a stone, a little doggie ate it, cause he thought it was a bone!
IHALD, I made it out of straw! It went 80 miles an hour, and broke the speeding law!!
IHALD, I made it out of string, and when I went to spin it, it began to sing.
I made a little dreidle in virtual reality. If you wear the right headgear, it's there for you to see.
IHALD, I made it out of wood, my little brother ate it cause he thought it tasted good!

Attributed to Robin Selinger
I have a little dreidel Made from a CD-ROM It helped me launch a start-up Called DreidelSpin-dot-com!

http://ot006.urj.net/

Gone, and Perhaps Not Mourned?

The past few weeks have seen announcements of various store chains that have announced that they are either closing completely or closing down many of their less profitable stores. In some cases I have been a customer of those stores, either occasionally or fairly regularly, and in other cases I've been in those stores either never or maybe once. Some are flagship stores for a particular brand/label and others are general merchandise stores.

National Wholesale Liquidators is one of those chains which is closing down all its stores. That's really too bad. It was sometimes quite possible to get incredibly good bargains in their stores. Linens and Things is another chain that is closing a number of stores and may have to close all of them. Towards them I have a very "so what" attitude; the merchandise in this chain was waaaay overpriced for what was being offered.

But the one store/brand/label that I wish would go out of business is still around. Everyone knows of this business and it is the rare person who hasn't purchased something they have been pushing. That store/brand is called "Yehnem's**."

Yehnem's has the advantage of being the most sold product line in America, and especially in the frum communities. There isn't a product manufactured that Yehnem's is not better than, at least judged by the number of people who see something in someone else's possession, declare they "need" that item also, and run to buy Yehnem's. It doesn't seem to matter what you yourself own already, because your life is just not "complete" until you have Yehnem's.

It matters not a whit that Yehnem's is going to be costly, far costlier than most people can afford. It matters not that Yehnem's may turn out to be a poor fit for you or your family. It matters not that Yehnem's may turn out to be of shoddy workmanship and inferior materials. The only thing that does matter is that it be an original Yehnem's.

Yehnem's is not a shopping venue that I've patronized very often, although it takes real discipline to be living in a frum community in NYC and not catch the Yehnem's craze. Fortunately, the community I live in does not have a Yehnem's flagship store any where near it. Unfortunately, some people have been going over the bridge and bringing the products back with them. Fortunately, most people here can do a product cost analysis and have decided that there is no value for the money when you buy Yehnem's. Unfortunately, many of our children attend schools in areas where Yehnem's is the number-one selling brand.

At a time where many businesses are in financial trouble I'd like to hope and believe that Yehnem's is going to fall in that group that can't survive this economic adjustment period. If people were to stop buying Yehnem's the savings to Klal would be immeasurable, both monetarily and socially. I live in hope that some morning I'm going to open the Wall Street Journal and see screaming headlines: "Yehnem's can find no buyer and announces that all stores will be closed immediately and all manufacturing has halted as of today." Now there would be good news.

**For those who may not be aware, "yehnem's" is the Yiddish for "theirs."

Groaaaan!

Thanks to Rafi G on LifeinIsrael for posting the following:

A Jewish blond goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Chanukah cards. She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Hanukkah stamps?"

The clerk says, "What denomination?"

The blonde says, "God help us. Has it come to this? Give me 15 Orthodox, 15 Conservative and 20 Reform."

A case, perhaps, of art imitating life?

Still Good Advice

Chanukah begins tonight, and while danger may be the last thing that is in our minds, perhaps we need to add "avoid danger" to our list of what we need to prepare. I wrote this post last year and I believe that the advice in it is still good advice.

http://conversationsinklal.blogspot.com/2007/12/fire-safety-and-chanukah.html

Let's all have a freilachen Chanukah, one unspoiled by dangerous situations.

ADDENDUM: Given the weather conditions in most of the country, those of you who are traveling to be together with family and friends please be cautious while driving. Give yourself extra time to get where you are going; even for a punctuality nut like me, better to be late than sorry. And please, this is not the time to drag out the old "seatbelts are for sissies" line--use them! Might be useful to travel with a shovel in the trunk as well.

A Tip From the Snowy Ranks

The mixed snow and ice we have been getting is resulting in some slippery and dangerous walking/driving conditions. Lots of people who shovel their walks will sprinkle a commercial de-icer on the cleared walks. Yes, they do a fairly good job of giving you safer footing when you walk on the cleared paths. But there is a downside to these de-icers. They contain mega amounts of sodium in them. For one thing, it is the sodium that is responsible for all those white markings you get on your boots, and which also discolor cement. For another, the sodium leaches into the ground, and if there are any types of plantings to the side of where you sprinkled the de-icer, you are damaging the plants. The third thing is that those de-icers are expensive.

A better alternative is using cat litter, the plainer and cheaper the better. The "cheap" stores sell large bags of the product for lots less then the commercial de-icers. Even the supermarkets are cheaper for the kitty litter. What are the advantages? First, you can see where you are sprinkling the litter so you get even coverage. Next, the litter is made to draw in and keep liquid, removing possible ice slicks before they happen. Third, the contents of the litter are not damaging to plants; most actually are beneficial, adding "good" substances to composting material. Fourth, the litter gives you better traction when you are walking on the shoveled walkways.

It's cheaper, it's safer, it's eco-friendly--what more can you ask of a product?

Being a Good Neighbor

There are snow/ice storms raging across the States. The New York vicinity is due to get from 3-6 inches of snow tomorrow, with snowy weather continuing through Sunday. Maybe we'll be lucky and it will be less then they are forecasting; of course, it could also be more than forecasted. And, of course, it is erev Shabbos tomorrow.

Now would be a good time to look around at your neighbors. Are any of them elderly? Are any of them incapacitated in some way? How are these people going to manage if it snows as predicted tomorrow? If you are going shopping ahead of the snow tomorrow perhaps you could ask these people if there is something you can pick up for them. And it would also be a true chesed if when you are cleaning your walks off tomorrow that you take the few minutes extra and clean theirs as well.

It's easy to think of ourselves as good neighbors when the sun is shining and the weather is fair. The real test of neighborliness comes when you have to expend some effort and energy.

Good News, Bad News

So, the plumbing company has been here since 7:00 AM digging up the street to fix my leaking pipe. And I'm smiling right about now. A few years ago the city of New York did a massive sewer and main pipe replacement in our area. It snarled up traffic for about a year. In order to replace the main pipes they had to cut the pipes coming from the houses to the main in the street. And when they finished their work they had to reconnect all the house pipes to the main. Guess what they used to connect the two pieces of cut pipe with? Rubber. Yup a rubber connector. Just how long do you suppose a piece of rubber will last when it's buried in an area that has constant water and below freezing temperatures?

So joy, the leaky pipe is not our fault. The plumber and my hubby are out there taking pictures right now and getting a sample of the rubber. Now, instead of going after Verizon, whose fault it isn't, we get to go after the City for shoddy workmanship on its part, resulting in our having to pay money that we should not be paying. Hopefully we will manage to recoup the money in our lifetime--dealing with the City is not fun and not easy. And all our neighbors are not happy either; if they used rubber to reconnect our pipe they probably used rubber to reconnect all the pipes on the block if not the whole neighborhood. Want to bet that there will be more leaks found in the near future?

I called our local newspaper and they are sending a photographer to take pictures as well; they also believe that the rubber connector is not just a fluke occuring only on my pipe. You know the only people who are not running to come and take a look at the pipe? The water department. Hmmm, want to bet they knew what we were going to find before we found it? Got to love it--our tax dollars at work.

Late Breaking Addendum: Having now dug up about half the street, our plumbing crew just gave us the news: the fault for the rubber pipe fix could belong to the gas company, to Verizon or to the City. All three have fittings in the area where the faulty rubber was found. The plumber suggests we sue all three and let them work it out among themselves. And he warned us that we may never know who actually put in the rubber instead of the copper pipe that should have been there. Right now a one-room tent in the Rockies is looking idyllic.

Questions of the Day--#9

What is the only continent that does not have land areas below sea level?

Who, what or where is Hausa?

What is the difference between a medium egg and an extra large egg?

Who or what is “Old Glory”?

What is a leap second?

Who was the only man to hit a home run in the All-Star Game and score a touchdown in the Pro Bowl in the same season?

Sticks and Stones

The English language is blessed with an abundance of words, some of which are used by all speakers of the language and some of which are highly esoteric and used rarely, if at all, by today's speakers of English. Nonetheless, the words exist.

Part of learning any language is the idea of connotation and denotation. To be succinct, denotation is the dictionary definition of a word; connotation is how that word is used in actual parlance: its negativity or positivity when used, the "emotional" baggage the word carries. The childhood chant may state "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me," but the reality is that words can hurt, and hurt badly.

Some words have many synonyms--words that are similar to but not exactly the same as the word we have in mind. Some of the synonyms are more general in meaning, some more specific. The difference between the synonyms is often their connotation. Call someone slim or slender and you've paid them a compliment; slim and slender have a positive connotation when it comes to body size. Call them thin or skinny and you are not being as positive. Call them scrawny, gaunt or emaciated and you are painting a highly negative picture.

Now let's look at the word "kill." It's simplest dictionary definition is to deprive of existence. Like the word "nice," kill has become a general place holder word, applied in so many diverse instances that it has become almost too generalized. But what are some of the synonyms for kill? annihilate, asphyxiate, assassinate, blot out*, bump off*, butcher, crucify, dispatch, do away with*,decapitate, defeat, destroy, dispatch, do in*, drub*, drown, dump, electrocute, eradicate, erase*, execute, exterminate, extirpate, finish, garrote, get*, guillotine, hang, hit*, immolate, liquidate, lynch, massacre, murder, neutralize, obliterate, off*, poison, polish off*, put away*, put to death, rub out*, sacrifice, slaughter, slay, smother, snuff, strangle, suffocate, waste*, wipe out*, X-out, zap.* Which of these synonyms we choose to use in any given situation will depend more on the connotation we wish our listeners/readers to get than on the denotation. It will depend on customary usage for certain words.

What do we do if we end the existence of a mosquito? Usually we kill it or perhaps zap it. What do antibiotics do? If they are working correctly then they kill, destroy, obliterate or wipe out bacteria. In these cases we stick to words with a fairly general meaning of ending life. But a strange thing happens when it comes to describing the ending of life of a human being. Suddenly some people begin waffling when it comes to choosing the word to use to describe the act of ending a human life.

Some of the difficulty is whether or not the ending of that human life was intentional or unintentional, and here the waters get murky. If two people are standing on the roof of a tall building and one accidentally bumps the other such that that person falls off the building and dies when hitting the ground, we refer to a killing rather than a murder. In some cases it will take a court to decide if a killing was accidental, in which case it remains a killing, or intentional, in which case it becomes a murder. If a body is found lying dead in the street it will take forensic sleuthing to discover whether or not a killing took place or a murder took place.

What do you call it when two soldiers from opposing sides in a declared war shoot at each other and one dies? Language convention says that the soldier was killed, not murdered. But what happens when civilians are killed by soldiers during the course of a war? That depends. Were the civilians hiding in the midst of a group of soldiers? Were the soldiers hiding in the midst of a group of civilians? Was it the intention of the soldiers to kill civilians as well as soldiers of the opposing forces? Were the deaths purposeful or accidental? Could the soldier have known that civilians were in the line of fire? And then there is the added difficulty of defining "war" and "soldier." Is a terrorist a soldier or is a terrorist something else?

Now what happens when a killing is reported in the media? "Journalistic fairness" (an oxymoron in way too many instances) requires that a reporter err on the side of caution. Where it is not yet known whether a taking of life was intentional or accidental, then such taking of a life needs to be reported as a killing. Where a court will be required to determine whether killing or murder has taken place, then reporting should speak about an alleged killer or alleged murderer. A court will need to decide the status of a homicide. For a court's purposes "the general term for the killing of a person by another is homicide; murder is either the intentional killing or malicious killing of another; manslaughter is the unintentional, accidental killing of another through carelessness."

Where the press falls down in their vaunted "fairness" is when the facts of a case are clearly obvious and no normally constructed court would decide other than what everyone else in the world can see. Nor are the media particularly even handed in how they apply the synonyms of "kill" or the word "kill" itself. I pulled up thousands of references online from the national media that use the term "gangland-style execution." In these cases, prior to any involvement on the part of the courts, the media have no problem in discussing that a killing was probably a murder for hire.

The assassination of President Kennedy was NOT referred to as a killing; it was referred to as an assassination or murder. Millions of people were watching the motorcade on television when the President was shot. It was obvious and logical that a sniper on a rooftop shooting down at the motorcade was not accidental; it was intentional.

I won't go through the thousands of incidents that happen throughout the world that the media picks and chooses about when deciding to call something a killing or a murder. A commenter on a different posting said that the Washington Post's style book instructs reporters to use the word killing instead of the word murder until a court of law decides that a crime has been committed. They separate the act from the crime. Must be nice for the Post's reporters to sleep so soundly because their style book allows them to.

One small recreational plane piloted by a novice who errs in reading his navigational instruments and who flies into the side of a building on the East River might result in the killing of residents in the building. But when three airliners are hijacked, two of which are intentionally flown into the World Trade Center buildings? Does it really take a court to decide that that was murder, not killing?

And then there is Mumbai. So the perpetrators accidentally held a city hostage for three days? They accidentally found themselves with weapons and explosives and accidentally set off the explosives and shot the rifles? And having shot once they accidentally shot again and again? They accidentally held hostages? They accidentally bound and tortured some of those hostages? They accidentally shot at the Indian police and military forces which were trying to free the hostages and catch the perpetrators? And it's just accidental that the targets which were captured all had a few things in common?

The world watched the events of Mumbai play out, but "fairness" on the part of the press requires that they use the word "kill" until a court actually declares that a crime was committed? Or maybe it's just plain laziness on their part, using the overworked "kill" instead of looking for the more specific word to describe an incident. I object to the use of a word that can be used to talk about the getting rid of crab grass also being applied to the "getting rid of" of human beings. No, I am not going to change anything by complaining here that much of the reporting by the media when it comes to killing vs. murder is not just slanted but has slid all the way down from truth to fairy tale. What I am doing is following the precept of one William Shakespeare: "This above all, to thine own self be true." For myself, I know the difference between a killing and a murder, and sorry all you media moguls, I'm not buying the manure you are peddling.

NOTE: This is an addendum to my original posting. Hat tip to Lion of Zion who provided the link. The link provides a little insight into how the New York Times decides when to use the word terrorist and when not. Timehttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/opinion/14pubed.html?_r=1&sq=public%20edior%20terrorist&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=1&adxnnlx=1229317968-KwRtbBbQBBGLG2tT6kXbpg

Questions of the Day--#8

Which is older—the Roman Coliseum or the Pyramid at Giza?

What are both the tallest and largest living organisms in the world?

Which country was the first to send a satellite up into space?

The English language belongs to which language family?

Of an oophyte, onomatologist or oenophile, the one who would enjoy imbibing a chardonnay?

What is the nut that is used in the manufacturing of dynamite?

Water, Water Everywhere

Oh, the joys of home ownership. One of our inanimate objects has struck again. This past year we noted a large wet spot in the middle of the street towards the front of our house. We called the Department of Water and the DEP and they came out to investigate. They sounded our pipes and our neighbors pipes and looked at the water and told us that it wasn't our pipe that was at fault; it was groundwater seeping out. For the past two months that wet spot sprouted small trickles that became larger fountains. Again we called all the bureaus involved and again they told us, on two separate occasions, that it wasn't our pipe.

This morning the Water Department showed up to open up the street and see where there might be a water main leak. And then they knocked on our door. It seems that it is the water pipe leading from our house to the main that is leaking, or at least that is what is believed to be the case. And then they gave us the reaalllly good news. In New York City the homeowner is responsible for fixing any pipes buried under the street surface that come directly from a house. It is our responsibility to find the specialized plumber necessary to make the repairs and it is our responsibility to have the street fixed after the repairs are done. The real kicker is that in black on white on the document we were given is this: ALL REPAIRS MUST BE COMPLETED WITHIN THREE DAYS. If the repairs are not effected in the three day period the Water Department will come, dig up the street, shut off the water connection to your house, and you will pay for the charge of both opening and closing the street to get to the main.

What is perhaps stranger is that the licenced plumber who does the work for you, after he digs up the street and gets to the pipe, must certify in writing that it is actually your pipe that is leaking.

Today, instead of concentrating on anything else, my hubby and I spent time trying to find one of these specialized plumbing outfits. Fortunately, while I was at work tonight, my hubby located one that is supposed to show up tomorrow morning early. Someone at work asked what work like this would cost. Let's see, the permit for the work alone costs $500 to the City. And the rest? My hubby and I could take a 10 day trip to Israel flying business class, stay in top hotels, eat at the fanciest restaurants, rent a car and about equal what this is going to cost us. I could buy a small Steinway grand piano and take lessons all year for that cost. If I were so inclined I could get a custom made fine human hair sheitle hanging down to my toes for that cost.

Talk about unexpected home repairs and putting money away for a rainy day. Guess what we are giving each other for Chanukah presents this year?

Not Us, Them

In my posting last week "In case things were not bad enough" I mentioned that a large meeting of Catholic school parents had taken place, protesting a cut in reimbursements for state mandated services. A bit of the comment thread got heated. The gist was can/should frum Jews threaten enrollment in the public school system as a means of attaining the funds coming to them. The idea is not a new one. What is new, however, is the one thing that commenters overlooked, and I admit I did as well.

Our SI newspaper gave a lot of coverage to the meeting and that coverage has continued throughout the week. The editorial today was about the Catholic parents' meeting, and the editorial came out 100% behind the parents. Comments in the paper and on the paper's website were pouring in all week. Not so incidentally many of those commenting were parents of children in the Catholic school system. Unlike when Jewish parents have floated the idea of mass registration in the public schools among themselves only, the Catholic parents took the idea public. Local elected officials were at that meeting and are introducing legislation to try and get things put back the way they were before the Governor took the scissors to the budget.

But there were also comments from parents whose children are presently in public school, and those parents believed that the state needed to pay or promise to pay the reimbursements to the private schools. As one parent said: "The state is being penny wise and dollar foolish. Our local schools are filled to capacity. Where would we put even a few dozen more students? And what if that was hundreds more or thousands more? Is the state really willing to put all of our kids at educational risk for the few dollars that private schools have coming to them?" As another parent commented: "The private schools save the state over seven billion dollars a year. Why is the governor putting us all in the position of having to suddenly pay out that kind of money if those private school students register in the public system?"

The newspaper reported that there are some 500,000 plus students in private schools in New York. (Note: the state Board of Ed reports that there are 440,000 for this school year out of a total of 3,123,000 students in K through 12, representing 14.1% of the student population**. This conflicts with a statement by the State Attorney General's Office that there are 500,000 plus students. Nice to know that the right hand and left hand of government aren't agreeing.) By far the largest number of students are those in the Catholic school system. Yes, there are parents in that system who are talking about registering their children in public school to force the issue if legislation to restore the cut funding does not happen. But these parents are being backed up by their school administrators. That's right; the administrators are talking about mass public school registration.

Obviously the various dioceses would not like to see their students disappear for good. But if I am reading the comments correctly, and I believe I am, they believe that a mass registration in the public school system would illustrate why the state should not be fooling around with the mandated reimbursements better than anything else available (again, this to be the case if promised legislation does not pass the legislature).

Here in SI there are over 10,000 students in the Catholic school system. If even 1/10 of those students suddenly registered in public school they would overwhelm our already crowded schools, and such registration is a distinct possibility. If 2/10 registered the system would find itself unable to function at all. Now imagine if all these students registered in public school.

The official representing the diocese was asking that all parents with children in private schools join them in first, pushing that the legislation being introduced be passed and second, should such legislation not be passed, in considering a mass registration in the public schools.

It's clear from what I have been reading that the Catholic diocese is NOT considering closing down its school system and that is public knowledge. They are not attempting to fool the state into thinking that all those Catholic students are going to be permanent additions to the public schools. They are "merely" considering making a valid point and illustrating to the state why this is one area where the state will save no money by cutting down on payments. A Lutheran school in the community has already said that it would join with the Catholic school system if such a registration becomes "necessary." One of the largest private schools in our area has also said that it would consider joining such a mass registration protest because it would be a good lesson to its students on civic responsibility and how the democratic process works.

So I'm asking, what will be/should be the response on the part of those with children in yeshivas if the Catholic school parents stage a mass public school registration? Will we let them carry the ball or will at least some of us join in? Okay, some people don't want to be the first ones to do something like this. But what if someone else is organizing and giving the "party"? Will yeshiva parents attend?

Note: Trudy, on the last posting, asked how much money the reduction in reimbursement actually is. The reimbursements run in the $60-100+ range per student, depending on the grade of the students. Let's use a maximum $100 figure and the State's 440,000 private school students figure from above. That would mean that the state has to reimburse the private schools yearly to the tune of $44 million dollars. A 17% reduction would mean a savings to the state of $7.5 million dollars. No, it's not chump change. But look at this next figure to put it into perspective. It costs the state in the $50-100 range PER CHILD to get them processed and registered in a public school. If "only" 10,000 new students were registered in the public school system it would cost the state one million dollars to register them and then an additional $15-16K per year to educate them--a total cost of $151 million dollars. Those 10,000 students represent only about 2.5% of the total private school students and is more than possible. (And this is not calculating how much money it would cost in administrative fees to re-process the students should they decide to return to their private schools.) How many students would it take to wipe out the 17% savings the state is trying for now? 500 students. Yes, only 500 more students registering in the public school system would wipe out any gain to the state. And I would be very surprised if those students aren't going to be registering. Yeshiva parents are not the only ones feeling the pinch of tuition.

**I teach my students to approach statistics cautiously. The State Board of Ed has been showing a decline in school registrations from the 2000-2001 school year through the year 2008-2009. They are showing this decline for both public schools and private schools. Private schools went from 495,738 to 440,000. What we do know is that two demographic groups consistently have large family sizes: frum Jews and religious Catholics. These two groups have been steadily adding to the numbers of students enrolled in private schools. We also know that the majority of immigrants of Latino background are Catholic and will opt for Catholic school education when possible. Looking at the State's figures it would seem that general private school attendance may be shrinking. I don't think you can make that claim for the religious schools.

In Case Things Were Not Bad Enough

I arrived home last night to be greeted by an article on the front page of our newspaper that has relevance to the yeshiva economic situation here in New York. There are services which the state mandates that all private schools must provide. Among these are taking attendance each period, giving Regents exams etc. Because they are state mandated, private schools have always been reimbursed in full for the cost of the services to the school. Not this year.

The governor has already reduced the amount of the reimbursement to 88% for this year and is now looking for at least another 5% reduction. He has changed the wording of the payments so that they are no longer reimbursements, which have to be paid back to the schools. Now the repayment is "merely" voluntary on the part of the state.

A meeting at one of the Catholic schools in our area saw attendance of over 1200 parents. There was a call on the part of those at the meeting to all parents with children in private schools to join in with them in protesting the state action. A bill is already prepared that will be introduced into the state senate to have the mandated services returned to reimbursement status, requiring 100% repayment to the private schools. A parent was quoted as saying, "We understand that the state has a money flow problem right now and we would be willing to wait for that money, but all the money needs to be reimbursed."

In all the discussion I've seen on the blogs about the economic problems that yeshivas are having no one has mentioned that state aid, which almost all yeshivas get in some form or another, is not being given at full strength. And if the state is cutting the amount of money it reimburses yeshivas then I wonder if the city is doing so as well.

Real estate taxes here in NY go to fund education so all of us are putting into the kitty to pay for the public schools. A commenter elsewhere mentioned that it costs NY $16K to educate each child per year in the public schools. By that commenter's reckoning we are saving the state $16K for every child we don't send to public school. The amount the state has to reimburse private schools for mandated services is tiny in comparison to the savings the state gets. Yet, that reimbursement obviously figures into the budgets of yeshivas and other private schools.

This is yet another reason for full exposure on the parts of yeshivas as to where their money comes from, how much they are getting and where the money is going. Right now less money is coming into the yeshivas from the state with further cuts on the agenda. That can only spell trouble for already cash-strapped schools. Even if the language is changed back to "reimbursement," so that the state must pay back the yeshivas, the state doesn't have the money now to do so, and the reimbursement would be some time in the future. That doesn't help yeshivas right now. Nonetheless, it wouldn't hurt to write to your state representative and tell him/her that you want the language returned to "reimbursement" and you want the state to have to pay back monies being spent by yeshivas that are mandated by the state. In today's economic climate every little penny helps.