StandWithUs, a pro-Israel organization, has just introduced a new "super hero"--Captain Israel. You can view the new comic at the link below.
http://www.captisrael.com/issue_1/
For information on the organization go to the link below.
http://www.standwithus.com/
Thursday, January 13, 2011
What's on the Calendar
For a lot of people, once New Years has come and gone January is a pretty blah month. Not so. There are some truly unique (okay, also some truly strange) weeks of celebration in January, not to mention some month-long celebrations. Some of these holidays I applaud whole heartedly--their subject matter needs to be front and center. With the others, I'd really, really like to know the reasoning behind celebrating them. If, however, you need a reason for getting into a celebratory mood (or just perhaps need a chuckle), try some of the following:
Week-long Celebrations:
Celebration of Life Week-Week One
Lose Weight, Feel Great Week - Week One
Diet Resolution Week - Week One
New Year's Resolutions Week - Week One
Women's Self Empowerment Week - Week One
Celebrate the Circus Week - Week Two
Home Office Safety and Security Week - Week Two
Law Enforcement Training Week (Always the first full week of the year)- Week Two
Universal Letter Writing Week- Week Two
National Thank-Your-Customers Week- Week Two
School Crossing Guard Week- Week Two
Special Education Week- Week Three
Cuckoo Dancing Week- Week Three
International Printing Week - Week Three
National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week- Week Three
National Skating Week - Week Three
Healthy Weight Week- Week Four
Hunt For Happiness Week - Week Four
National Glaucoma Week- Week Four
National Creative Frugality Week - Week Four
National Meat Week- Week Four
National Handwriting Analysis Week - Week Four
National Nurse Anesthetists Week - Week Four
Kiss A Shark Week -Week Four (Please don't really kiss a shark.)
Hot Air Balloon Week - Week Four
National Medical Group Practice Week - Week Four
Catholic Schools Week - 25 thru 31 (So how come yeshivas don't have their own week?)
Month-long celebrations:
Autism Awareness Month
Bald Eagle Watch Month
Bath Safety Month
Blended Family Month
Bread Machine Baking Month
Celebrate the Past Month
Celebration of Life Month
Cervical Health Awareness Month
Clean Up Your Computer Month
Clinical Trial Awareness Month
Coffee Gourmet International Month
Crime Stoppers Month
Everything's Possible Month
Family Fit Lifestyle Month
Fat Free Living Month
Financial Wellness Month
Fireside Warmth Month
Heavyweight Boxers Month
Home Fire Safety Month
Human Resource Month
Independent Bookstore Month
International Creativity Month
International Get Over It Month
International Life Balance Month
International Quality of Life Month
International Printing Month
It's OK to be Different Month
Jump Out of Bed Month
Learn Spanish Month
Love Yourself Month
Mail Order Gardening Month
March of Dimes Birth Defects Prevention Month
Market Ability Month
National Be On-Purpose Month
National Book Blitz Month
National Book Month
National Candy Month
National Careers in Cosmetology Month
National Credit Awareness Month
National Eye Health Care Month
National Facial Tissues Month
National Get Organized Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National High-Tech Month
National Hobby Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Letter Writing Month
National Lose Weight, Feel Great Month
National Mentoring Month
National Polka Month
National Radio Month
National Radon Action Month
National Retail Bakers Month
National Returns Month
National Save Your Money Month
National Skating Month
National Soup Month
National Stamp Collectors Month
National Staying Healthy Month
National Thank You Month
National Transformation Thinking Month
Oatmeal Month
Personal Self-Defense Month
Poverty in America Month
Prunes for Breakfast Month Month
Reaching Your Potential Month
Volunteer Blood Donor Month
Yours, Mine & Ours Month
Week-long Celebrations:
Celebration of Life Week-Week One
Lose Weight, Feel Great Week - Week One
Diet Resolution Week - Week One
New Year's Resolutions Week - Week One
Women's Self Empowerment Week - Week One
Celebrate the Circus Week - Week Two
Home Office Safety and Security Week - Week Two
Law Enforcement Training Week (Always the first full week of the year)- Week Two
Universal Letter Writing Week- Week Two
National Thank-Your-Customers Week- Week Two
School Crossing Guard Week- Week Two
Special Education Week- Week Three
Cuckoo Dancing Week- Week Three
International Printing Week - Week Three
National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week- Week Three
National Skating Week - Week Three
Healthy Weight Week- Week Four
Hunt For Happiness Week - Week Four
National Glaucoma Week- Week Four
National Creative Frugality Week - Week Four
National Meat Week- Week Four
National Handwriting Analysis Week - Week Four
National Nurse Anesthetists Week - Week Four
Kiss A Shark Week -Week Four (Please don't really kiss a shark.)
Hot Air Balloon Week - Week Four
National Medical Group Practice Week - Week Four
Catholic Schools Week - 25 thru 31 (So how come yeshivas don't have their own week?)
Month-long celebrations:
Autism Awareness Month
Bald Eagle Watch Month
Bath Safety Month
Blended Family Month
Bread Machine Baking Month
Celebrate the Past Month
Celebration of Life Month
Cervical Health Awareness Month
Clean Up Your Computer Month
Clinical Trial Awareness Month
Coffee Gourmet International Month
Crime Stoppers Month
Everything's Possible Month
Family Fit Lifestyle Month
Fat Free Living Month
Financial Wellness Month
Fireside Warmth Month
Heavyweight Boxers Month
Home Fire Safety Month
Human Resource Month
Independent Bookstore Month
International Creativity Month
International Get Over It Month
International Life Balance Month
International Quality of Life Month
International Printing Month
It's OK to be Different Month
Jump Out of Bed Month
Learn Spanish Month
Love Yourself Month
Mail Order Gardening Month
March of Dimes Birth Defects Prevention Month
Market Ability Month
National Be On-Purpose Month
National Book Blitz Month
National Book Month
National Candy Month
National Careers in Cosmetology Month
National Credit Awareness Month
National Eye Health Care Month
National Facial Tissues Month
National Get Organized Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National High-Tech Month
National Hobby Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Letter Writing Month
National Lose Weight, Feel Great Month
National Mentoring Month
National Polka Month
National Radio Month
National Radon Action Month
National Retail Bakers Month
National Returns Month
National Save Your Money Month
National Skating Month
National Soup Month
National Stamp Collectors Month
National Staying Healthy Month
National Thank You Month
National Transformation Thinking Month
Oatmeal Month
Personal Self-Defense Month
Poverty in America Month
Prunes for Breakfast Month Month
Reaching Your Potential Month
Volunteer Blood Donor Month
Yours, Mine & Ours Month
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst
During the blizzard a few weeks ago a lot of people were caught totally unprepared for the intensity of the storm. They pooh-poohed the weather forecasts as being the alarmist rantings of the forecasters, who are so often wrong. They pointed out multiple occasions when large amounts of snow were forecast and didn't materialize. While others busied themselves with laying in supplies of groceries and rocksalt and buying shovels, these people b'dafka made plans to be out of their homes the next day. (And yes, it would appear that the powers that be in NYC were among these nay-sayers, judging by the poor job done by the City in responding to the storm.)
For last Shabbos snow was once again forecast, and more people heeded the forecasters and prepared themselves for a lot of snow--and then that "lot" didn't happen. Then there was last night's snow. There were those who once again pointed to the "wrong" forecast for last Friday as proof that there was nothing to worry about with last night's accumulation--and they would be the wrong ones yet again.
Betting on the weather, on the possible actions of Mother Nature is a fool's bet. Mother Nature follows her own rules, not ours. Yet, even knowing this we seem so optimistic that it is WE who know what will happen. And there is a lesson to be learned in this.
Yes, we can hope for the best, hope that the forecasters will be wrong. But, our heads should not swell should those forecasters turn out to be wrong. It is not that we knew better than the forecasters. It is that we were working on blind optimism that happened to be rewarded THIS time; we might not be so lucky next time, or many of the times to come. Instead of preening that we are better forecasters than the official ones, we ought to be looking for a sale on that rocksalt--stormy weather could hit any moment.
Extend that weather metaphor to other areas of life and it still holds: hope for the best, but expect the worst. Be prepared to enjoy the good times, but be equally prepared to cope with and overcome the bad times. This doesn't mean we should adopt a pessimistic viewpoint of life. It does mean that we should adopt a realistic viewpoint. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, things don't go the way we want them to, the way we planned them to, the way they should. The person who understands this is the one best equipped to "weather the storm" of life and prevail in the end. Thinking through all the possibilities and being prepared for them makes a lot more sense than stubbornly refusing to entertain the notion that nothing bad will happen if you are extra careful in planning for the good. Good and bad are the two sides of the same coin. Probability theory tells us that if we toss that coin long enough an equal number of heads and tails will come up. Just because a run of heads has come up now doesn't mean that the tails are not going to appear on the next toss.
We need to recognize that being prepared for the worst that can happen is a good thing and not being pessimistic at all. It makes us better able to navigate through the storms that happen in life.
That being said, I wouldn't mind it at all if all the forecasters in the northeast were wrong for the rest of their lives as regards snow. I have had my fill of the stuff and would not cry if I never again saw a snowstorm up close and personal. Excuse me now while I go out and uncover my car yet once again. Couldn't the coin have come up heads this time?! Yeah, yeah, I know--just grab the shovel and salt and get going.
For last Shabbos snow was once again forecast, and more people heeded the forecasters and prepared themselves for a lot of snow--and then that "lot" didn't happen. Then there was last night's snow. There were those who once again pointed to the "wrong" forecast for last Friday as proof that there was nothing to worry about with last night's accumulation--and they would be the wrong ones yet again.
Betting on the weather, on the possible actions of Mother Nature is a fool's bet. Mother Nature follows her own rules, not ours. Yet, even knowing this we seem so optimistic that it is WE who know what will happen. And there is a lesson to be learned in this.
Yes, we can hope for the best, hope that the forecasters will be wrong. But, our heads should not swell should those forecasters turn out to be wrong. It is not that we knew better than the forecasters. It is that we were working on blind optimism that happened to be rewarded THIS time; we might not be so lucky next time, or many of the times to come. Instead of preening that we are better forecasters than the official ones, we ought to be looking for a sale on that rocksalt--stormy weather could hit any moment.
Extend that weather metaphor to other areas of life and it still holds: hope for the best, but expect the worst. Be prepared to enjoy the good times, but be equally prepared to cope with and overcome the bad times. This doesn't mean we should adopt a pessimistic viewpoint of life. It does mean that we should adopt a realistic viewpoint. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, things don't go the way we want them to, the way we planned them to, the way they should. The person who understands this is the one best equipped to "weather the storm" of life and prevail in the end. Thinking through all the possibilities and being prepared for them makes a lot more sense than stubbornly refusing to entertain the notion that nothing bad will happen if you are extra careful in planning for the good. Good and bad are the two sides of the same coin. Probability theory tells us that if we toss that coin long enough an equal number of heads and tails will come up. Just because a run of heads has come up now doesn't mean that the tails are not going to appear on the next toss.
We need to recognize that being prepared for the worst that can happen is a good thing and not being pessimistic at all. It makes us better able to navigate through the storms that happen in life.
That being said, I wouldn't mind it at all if all the forecasters in the northeast were wrong for the rest of their lives as regards snow. I have had my fill of the stuff and would not cry if I never again saw a snowstorm up close and personal. Excuse me now while I go out and uncover my car yet once again. Couldn't the coin have come up heads this time?! Yeah, yeah, I know--just grab the shovel and salt and get going.
Monday, January 10, 2011
The World Needs to Rethink about Israel
An excellent article that appeared today in the JWR, authored by Melanie Phillips, a British journalist and author of, most recently, Londonistan. She is best known for her controversial column about political and social issues which currently appears in the Daily Mail. She was awarded the Orwell Prize for journalism in 1996.
Adapted from an address to the Ariel Conference on Law and Mass Media, 30 December 2010.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0111/phillips011011.php3
Adapted from an address to the Ariel Conference on Law and Mass Media, 30 December 2010.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0111/phillips011011.php3
Fixing the System--the First Step
PNN asked me what five things I would do if I were in charge of fixing the shidduch-making system. A lot of things come to mind, but I believe that what I will present now is the first step that must be taken.
A shidduch requires one male and one female, one man and one woman. Getting married is about the joining of two human beings into one family unit. Human beings--special creations made b'tzelem Elokim. Human beings--each one unique, each one an individual. True, we all share certain characteristics, making us part of the family of mankind. However, we are not clones, mass-produced on some assembly line. An awareness of the truth of these words is sadly missing in today's shidduch making process.
Today's shidduch making has reduced the key players to being viewed as sechoirah, as merchandise to be bought and sold. There is a push when a "new batch" hits the shelves to sell them off as quickly as possible. The language used is the language of business and sales, and the techniques and pitches are also those used in business and sales. "Sellers" hustle to position their "wares" as advantageously as possible. The "younger," the "fresher" the merchandise the easier it is to dispose of is how people reason. There is a frantic effort to "move the merchandise" as quickly as possible before a new "product" is available for sale.
The "shelf life" of those who enter into shidduchim is seen as limited and of short duration. If you don't sell the "product" quickly then who knows if it will ever sell at all. Sellers abide by a very short "sell by date." Granted, when the next "batch" is delivered, the sellers still keep the old merchandise around. But they stick that "merchandise" into a corner of an out of the way shelf. Maybe someone will spot it there, and may someone won't. The push is not there any longer to "advertise" the old "wares" nor to present them to buyers who come calling. Ask a "merchant" why he/she does this and they basically shrug their shoulders and tell you that everyone knows that younger is better. Their efforts are better put into selling the new merchandise.
I am appalled and disgusted by this attitude. There is no "sell by" date that comes attached to human beings. No one, but no one knows precisely when their bashert will be found. Yes, you have to do your hishtadlus and be active in looking for a shidduch, but there is no timetable that must be slavishly adhered to. No, eighteen to twenty-one are not some magical numbers that signify the cream of the crop when it comes to shidduch making.
Let me co-opt some of that language that is used so disgracefully and turn it on its head. You want to consider our singles as something to be bought and sold? Then stop using ToysRUs and WalMart as the business model. Instead, look at farmers. Smart farmers know that not every item they plant will grow at the same rate, nor ripen at the same rate. Some produce requires a longer growing season and some a shorter one. Some produce requires careful attention in order to come into full bloom and some seems to grow no matter what you do or don't do for it. Some produce requires a longer ripening season if it is to be at its peak.
Just because a gardening manual or the back of a packet of seeds says that it will take X days/weeks/months for a plant to be at perfect maturity doesn't mean that that will happen. Plants are also individuals, and while they may generally follow certain patterns, they don't necessarily grow and develop in quite the same way that others of their type do.
Ever shop for avocados? Some of those avocados in the bin are hard as a rock and will take quite some time to become edible. So what? Give them that extra time and they are perfectly delicious avocados. Ever bite into a berry that needed more time to develop and come to peak flavor? Picked too early they are bitter and sour.
And is there anyone who has a brain who will assume that all fruits and vegetables and grains must grow at precisely the same rate, for the same amount of time? Is there anyone with a brain who believes that the growing conditions are identical for every single item that grows?
So yes, it is more than time that we stop looking at our young people as if they were factory produced inanimate objects and start looking at them as if they were individual human beings, each with their own needs and requirements for coming into full bloom. The language of buying and selling has no business in shidduchim, and neither does the attitude that that language engenders.
A shidduch requires one male and one female, one man and one woman. Getting married is about the joining of two human beings into one family unit. Human beings--special creations made b'tzelem Elokim. Human beings--each one unique, each one an individual. True, we all share certain characteristics, making us part of the family of mankind. However, we are not clones, mass-produced on some assembly line. An awareness of the truth of these words is sadly missing in today's shidduch making process.
Today's shidduch making has reduced the key players to being viewed as sechoirah, as merchandise to be bought and sold. There is a push when a "new batch" hits the shelves to sell them off as quickly as possible. The language used is the language of business and sales, and the techniques and pitches are also those used in business and sales. "Sellers" hustle to position their "wares" as advantageously as possible. The "younger," the "fresher" the merchandise the easier it is to dispose of is how people reason. There is a frantic effort to "move the merchandise" as quickly as possible before a new "product" is available for sale.
The "shelf life" of those who enter into shidduchim is seen as limited and of short duration. If you don't sell the "product" quickly then who knows if it will ever sell at all. Sellers abide by a very short "sell by date." Granted, when the next "batch" is delivered, the sellers still keep the old merchandise around. But they stick that "merchandise" into a corner of an out of the way shelf. Maybe someone will spot it there, and may someone won't. The push is not there any longer to "advertise" the old "wares" nor to present them to buyers who come calling. Ask a "merchant" why he/she does this and they basically shrug their shoulders and tell you that everyone knows that younger is better. Their efforts are better put into selling the new merchandise.
I am appalled and disgusted by this attitude. There is no "sell by" date that comes attached to human beings. No one, but no one knows precisely when their bashert will be found. Yes, you have to do your hishtadlus and be active in looking for a shidduch, but there is no timetable that must be slavishly adhered to. No, eighteen to twenty-one are not some magical numbers that signify the cream of the crop when it comes to shidduch making.
Let me co-opt some of that language that is used so disgracefully and turn it on its head. You want to consider our singles as something to be bought and sold? Then stop using ToysRUs and WalMart as the business model. Instead, look at farmers. Smart farmers know that not every item they plant will grow at the same rate, nor ripen at the same rate. Some produce requires a longer growing season and some a shorter one. Some produce requires careful attention in order to come into full bloom and some seems to grow no matter what you do or don't do for it. Some produce requires a longer ripening season if it is to be at its peak.
Just because a gardening manual or the back of a packet of seeds says that it will take X days/weeks/months for a plant to be at perfect maturity doesn't mean that that will happen. Plants are also individuals, and while they may generally follow certain patterns, they don't necessarily grow and develop in quite the same way that others of their type do.
Ever shop for avocados? Some of those avocados in the bin are hard as a rock and will take quite some time to become edible. So what? Give them that extra time and they are perfectly delicious avocados. Ever bite into a berry that needed more time to develop and come to peak flavor? Picked too early they are bitter and sour.
And is there anyone who has a brain who will assume that all fruits and vegetables and grains must grow at precisely the same rate, for the same amount of time? Is there anyone with a brain who believes that the growing conditions are identical for every single item that grows?
So yes, it is more than time that we stop looking at our young people as if they were factory produced inanimate objects and start looking at them as if they were individual human beings, each with their own needs and requirements for coming into full bloom. The language of buying and selling has no business in shidduchim, and neither does the attitude that that language engenders.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Tidbits from the Past
Some events that happened in history for the week of January 9-15.
9 The United Nations opens its headquarters in New York City.
10 The world's first underground passenger railway system opens in London, England (1863)
11 American League baseball adopts the "Designated Hitter" rule (1973)
12 Batman debuts on television (1966)
14 The United States of America ratifies a treaty with England ending the Revolutionary war. (1784)
14 The Miami Dolphins defeat the Washington Redskins in Superbowl VII , and become the first undefeated team in NFL history. (1973)
14 The Simpsons debut on television. Will TV ever be the same again!?! (1990)
15 The Pentagon opens (1943)
15 Happy Days premieres on television (1974)
9 The United Nations opens its headquarters in New York City.
10 The world's first underground passenger railway system opens in London, England (1863)
11 American League baseball adopts the "Designated Hitter" rule (1973)
12 Batman debuts on television (1966)
14 The United States of America ratifies a treaty with England ending the Revolutionary war. (1784)
14 The Miami Dolphins defeat the Washington Redskins in Superbowl VII , and become the first undefeated team in NFL history. (1973)
14 The Simpsons debut on television. Will TV ever be the same again!?! (1990)
15 The Pentagon opens (1943)
15 Happy Days premieres on television (1974)
Words to Ponder
"A simple fact that is hard to learn is that the time to save money is when you have some."
Joe Moore
Joe Moore
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