But the Memory Lingers On

Hurricane Sandy left a load of devastation as she passed over our area.  No, things are not back to normal, and not likely to be for some time, especially given that a nor'easter is also expected this week.  We've been on and off hosting people from some of the hardest hit areas since the storm hit, as we kept our power on.  One family has a flooded house and repairs to the house are going to mean months of not being able to live in it. 

Public transportation is still spotty, gas for cars is still only available in limited places and in limited quantities, fresh milk and produce is not available all over nor in large quantities. Some schools are opened and some are still closed.  People with simchas this week are truly wondering just who is going to be able to show up, and what kind of food the caterers are going to be able to prepare.

One thing, however, showed up in discussions time after time--our dependency on electronic communication devices.  Regular phones and cell phone towers made getting in touch with family and friends an impossibility, and some areas still don't have all phones working.  Computers were obviously out in many areas as power went down.  And then there was this--many people no longer keep a hardcopy phone book with everyone's regular and cellphone numbers in it.  The reasoning is that it is far simpler to have all that info right there on your cellphone.  The storm showed us otherwise.

So yes, a black and white printed list of everyone's contact information is something you might consider making now, if you have your power back.

And given the storm that is supposed to hit us this week, it might also be a good idea to have a plan in place if family members find they can't get home--where will they go, how will they get there, what is the contact information for the people where they might go.

Emergency planning needs to take place before an emergency arises, not during it.  Taking a few moments now can save huge amounts of trouble later.

Preparing for Sandy

Just when I was wondering if there would be anything to post about, given that the choices were becoming quite limited to old news--yeshiva tuition, the nutty shidduch system etc.--along comes a possible devasting storm that will hit us in the NE from Sunday to Tuesday.  While there are some who are shrugging their shoulders and taking a wait and see attitude, that way could lie disaster.

Now is the time to do some thinking about how you will handle the storm and any complications it could bring.  If you have to evacuate, how will you do so and where might you be able to go?  If you are stuck at home, do you have the necessary storm equipment, such as flashlights for when the power goes out, food to eat that does not require cooking, in case stoves are unavailable, extras of any medications you must take and you may not be able to get to a drugstore, extra blankets in case the heating goes out etc..

Now is also the time to be a good neighbor and think of those on your block or in your area who may be alone during the storm, such as the elderly.  There's safety in numbers is not just words on a page--bringing such a person to stay in your home during the storm could well be a matter of sakonos nefoshos.

Do you have any loose items in your backyard or on your porch or balconey?  Time to get those things to an enclosed shelter so that they don't become airborne missles when the strong wind gusts arrive.

Are your street-side sewer drains covered with leaves and debris?  Do yourself a favor and get out there and remove the leaves.  Heavy rains need somewhere to go, and clogged drains don't help.

There's lots of helpful information about how to prepare for a weather a storm of this type available online, but it's only helpful if you actually access it and use it.

Let's hope that we all get through this storm in safety, but some of that safety is going to depend on what you do now.

A gutten Shabbos to all.

The Irony of It All

The Asifa that was held yesterday is really a study in irony.  It is being reported that 50,000 people attended the asifa, both in person and remotely.  Purveyors from here and from Israel were present to sell their wares--kosher phones and Internet filters.  Those who spoke made it clear that such filters and phones HAD to be used if you are using a cellphone or the Internet and that attendees and listeners had better buy them. 

So what is the irony?  Had the Internet not existed, the Asifa would not have been possible.  Short of certain parades many years ago, the Asifa is being touted as the largest gathering ever of Jews in one place in the NY area.  Did they gather together to address any of the truly pressing issues that Klal faces, issues like yeshiva tuition and the fact that Klal is beggaring itself through its insistence that young men not work but sit and learn forever instead?  Nope, they gathered because a "truly evil" force is in our midst.  They would much rather have banned Internet usage altogether--and there are many rabbonim who do just that--but they used that old axiom "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

Ironic that those who could not attend in person could do so through their cellphones and through the Internet.  And let's not forget the money made yesterday.  Those purveyors had a captive audience, and they bought and bought and bought.  I'm not sure how much mind expanding was done yesterday, but some people's pockets were stretched wide as the money poured into them.

If the Internet did not exist, what issue of importance would have possibly brought together this many people?  The answer is no issue would have brought them together like this.  It would seem that no other issue could get so many rabbonim and their followers to come together in one place and in seeming unity, rabbonim and followers who otherwise "don't play nicely together" and would rather chew nails than have anything to do with each other.  And yes, that is ironic. 

Funny Money

Lest we think that it is only Klal that comes up with some truly strange things to throw money at, I should mention that Klal is in good company with the Federal Government.

The NIH has given a psychology professor in Kentucky a huge chunk of money (The grant information shows the government launched the project with a $181,406 award in January 2010. It added the $175,587 cited by Neumann in 2011 and another $175,211 in February 2012. The study is slated to continue through January 2015) for research purposes.

What is the research this professor is doing? He is studying the connection between cocaine and the sex habits of Japanese quail.

Now, don't you feel all warm and cozy about what is being done with your tax dollars?

Israel Takes on Eating Disorders

Interesting report on what Israel is doing to help combat eating disorders through providing better role models in the ads viewed by people. It would be helpful if others emulated what Israel is doing.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46795433/ns/today-style/t/new-israeli-law-bans-underweight-models-ads/?fb_ref=.T2iyk1Ur864.like&fb_source=profile_multiline

New Israeli law bans underweight models in ads
Legislation hope to encourage use of healthy models and heighten awareness of digital tricks

A Hairy Situation

The weather is dismal in NYC right now, so if you're looking for something to break up the blahs, go on over to http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0312/tax_breaks_for_mustaches2.php3

The American Mustache Institute has found a duly elected official to present legislation relating to a tax break for those who have facial hair. Yes, you read that correctly. Strange (or not so strange) thing is, I could see thousands of Jews who otherwise don't seem to display any interest in the goings on of our government really getting behind this one.

9/11 In Memoriam

On December 7, 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt uttered words that have become part of the fabric of American history. Pearl Harbor had just been bombed, and in his speech FDR stated that "this is a date that will live in infamy." He couldn't have imagined at that time that there would be another date to join his, a date that also lives in infamy--9/11.

On that fateful date I was teaching on the Staten Island campus of St. John's University. The campus sits atop Grymes Hill, with a clear view of the harbor and of lower Manhattan. A student came running into the classroom I was in, screaming in horror, and we poured out onto the campus in time to view the second plane crashing into the World Trade Center. None of us could fully take in what we had just seen, but on every face there was a terrified look. The first reaction was that a commercial plane had somehow gotten off course and crashed into the towers. But as news began to filter in to phones the truth came out: this was the second plane to hit the towers, and two planes was not an accident but an attack.

I remember being torn between needing/wanting to find out about my children working in Manhattan, about friends and other family in the Trade Center area, and needing to get my students safely on their way home. I watched as students from off the Island were gathered up by those from the Island, offering a haven until it could be determined just what had happened and what was happening. I made it home in record time and then began the frustrating time of trying to contact those in Manhattan. Eventually all family members would be accounted for but the tears refused to stop as the news filtered in about what had happened that day. So many lives lost that day, so many people who may have lived through the experience but who would never be the same again. So much pain and so much sorrow.

There was a flash in my memory of another day, another school, another time that the country would cry out in horror. I was in high school when the Principal's voice suddenly came over the PA system, instructing us to quickly and quietly pack our books and go home: our country had suffered a tragedy in that President Kennedy had been assassinated. Everywhere on the walk home you saw people in shock with tears streaming. And on 9/11, dozens of years later, assassins would once again come to our shores, and the tears would stream once again.

A few years after the attacks on 9/11, a survivor of the World Trade Center attack would answer, when asked what those trying to escape were doing, "There are no atheists in foxholes. We were all praying like crazy." I know he was right because that's what a whole lot of us who weren't at the site were doing as well. To Whom else but God could we possibly turn when faced with a tragedy of this magnitude?

As we go through the day today it would be appropriate to think of those whose lives were taken, who were murdered for no other reason than they were Americans. And I hope that our resolve, and the resolve of our leaders, will be hardened so that such a tragedy does not come to us again. And yes, it would be a good time for prayers to God, for asking that He guide us in our thoughts and actions so that such bloodshed should not happen again.

First in California...where next?

Thanks to the Professor at Life on a Cotton Ball for reaffirming my faith in our legislative systems--NOT. I wake up every Sunday morning with the positive attitude that this week will be different: this week will be the week that the mistakes of the past will be recognized and steps taken to immediately establish changes that will be helpful for us. Yeah, just call me a cockeyed optimist. And no, this is not going to be that week either.

The legislators of the great state of California (irony intended), apparently having nothing better to do, voted to require all institutions providing hospitality--think hotels and motels--to use only fitted sheets on their beds. Oh yes, and they specifically included that the state won't be paying any of the monies required to meet this new legislation--the hospitality industry will have to meet the expenses to be in compliance.

Frankly, many years ago the truly mentally deficient were sent to state-sponsored residential institutions. In modern times that was deemed as politically/socially/humanely incorrect. Instead, someone apparently came up with a different, "better" way to care for these people-- they are duly elected to state legislatures, where they get to play with others just like themselves, and create havoc for the rest of us.

You think not? Go to the link below. The Professor has the link to the actual legislation. Mind boggling doesn't even begin to cover it.

http://lifeonacottonball.blogspot.com/

Speaking of Old Age

There are some who are not fully convinced that people are living to far older ages than in previous generations. And then you see a news report like the following. Of interest to me was the fact that Mr. Buckles had been advocating for a memorial for WWI veterans. When people ask--and yes, some people do--just what is it that all these old people are contributing to our country while they are "stealing" all that money that goes into Social Security and Medicaid and specialized services that could be better spent on the "younger" among us, we have an answer here: they are still involved where and when they can be in in doing what those older generations did so well. They are advocating for change, they are advocating for remembrance for important events of the past, they are getting up and being counted. If a man of 110 can still put effort into advocating for something he believed in, just how do the rest of those far younger than he was justify sitting on their duffs and complaining but never lifting a real hand in support of something they believe needs to be fixed or needs to be established?

And yes, we in Klal could learn a thing or two from Mr. Buckles, not least being that complaining alone has rarely, if ever, led to real change. What is needed is advocacy and getting up off our chairs to actively search for and implement the changes we feel are needed. And given when WWI occurred and how old Mr. Buckles was, we might also learn that "Now" is not necessarily when those changes we would advocate for will take place--we need to prepare to be in it for the long haul.

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Frank Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I, has died. He was 110.

Buckles, who also survived being a civilian POW in the Philippines in World War II, died peacefully of natural causes early Sunday at his home in Charles Town, biographer and family spokesman David DeJonge said in a statement. Buckles turned 110 on Feb. 1 and had been advocating for a national memorial honoring veterans of World War I in Washington, D.C.

Buckles lied about his age to join the army at age 16.The Missouri native was among nearly 5 million Americans who served in World War I in 1917 and 1918.

Been There, Done That

We spent some time during our vacation watching some television news programs--admittedly not a very relaxing activity given what was going on abroad and at home this past week. But the news did bring to mind that old statement: the more things change, the more they remain the same.

The following was written in the early '60s and was a recording of the Kingston Trio--sound familiar? With perhaps only a few exceptions this could have been penned yesterday.



They're Rioting in Africa (The Merry Minuet)(Sheldon Harnick)

Intro:
There are days in my life when everything is dreary
I grow pessimistic, sad and world weary.
But when I'm tearful and fearfully upset
I always sing this merry little minuet:

They're rioting in Africa
They're starving in Spain
There's hurricanes in Florida
And Texas needs rain.

The whole world is festering
With unhappy souls
The French hate the Germans,
The Germans hate the Poles
Italians hate Yugoslavs
South Africans hate the Dutch
And I don't like anybody very much

But we can be grateful
And thankful and proud
That man's been endowed
With a mushroom shaped cloud

And we know for certain
That some happy day
Someone will set the spark off
And we will all be blown away

They're rioting in Africa
There's strife in Iran
What nature doesn't do to us
Will be done by our fellow man.

Less is More

Imagine that your favorite author wrote a book that was 1900 pages plus. Would you begin reading it? Maybe yes and maybe no. And even if you began reading it, would you read with the same careful attention that you would a work that was far shorter? Would you be tempted to skim parts instead of concentrating on every word? Would you wonder if you were ever going to see the end and just give up without finishing the work? Would you skip whole parts just hoping to see the end at last?

Fiction writers don't write single tomes running to 1900+ pages. They understand the limitations of their readers. They also generally believe that any particular subject deserves its own work, not bundled together with other subjects broadly in the same topic area. There are plenty of authors who write series, centered around the same character or set of characters or around the same geographic area or general topic. The key is they write series--one book at a time. This allows the reader to absorb and digest one bite before being fed another bite.

Oh that our lawmakers would emulate these best selling authors. I am still trying to slog my way through the gazillions of pages in the Health Care package that Congress passed. And now the news is out that a fiscal reorganization plan that some congressional leaders are pushing to get passed is already at 1900 pages and not finished yet.

Is there anyone out there who seriously believes that our lawmakers, even one lawmaker, are going to go through a document of that size word by word, idea by idea and understand by page 1900 the import of things discussed on page 107? Is there going to be any lawmaker, even one, who will know everything that such legislation contains? Just what is it the lawmakers will be voting for when they have no idea about everything stated in a bill?

One word comes to mind when I hear about documents of this length: obfuscation. Somewhere, some place in those pages is something that someone, perhaps a lot of different someones, doesn't want people to know are a part of the package. Some lawmakers are counting on the fact that no one will thoroughly read a document of this length to sneak in some items that would not be so palatable if they were considered on their own. Instead, those items are going to be hidden in plain sight.

Amazingly the foundation documents of our country, the Declaration of Independence (one to two pages plus the signature pages), the Bill of Rights (one page) and the Constitution (four handwritten pages in the original, 17 pages including the amendments) don't come anywhere near the length of some of today's proposed legislation. You have to wonder why.

Note to Readers: It's not just me beating this particular drum. To see a view about our tax code, go to http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/taxes/tax-system-too-complex-to-be-constitutional-1295026434475/ By comparison, the health care package is a breeze to navigate through.

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

A not so Subtle Subtlety of Anti-semitism

Anyone who thinks that antisemitism in the US is over and done with needs to open their eyes and ears. While overt antisemitism is frowned on and has legal sanctions, there is the subtler form that appears, particularly in our media.

Find someone who is Jewish, particularly observant Jewish, featured in an article or report in any of the media and here is what you see: if what that person has done is a "good" thing, then the person is identified strictly by name or perhaps business title or perhaps area of residence. HOWEVER, if what that person has done is something seen as "bad," suddenly the identification will also include "an orthodox Jew." Now, if religious affiliation and degree of practice were the actual policy of these media in identifying those in their reports, I'd expect to see every report read "Mr. X, a devout Catholic" or "Mr. Y, a practicing Presbyterian" or even "Mr. Q, a devout Muslim." I'd expect that quotes would read "Mr. Z, a Seventh Day Adventist, said...." But that's not what happens. Short of using titles such as Archbishop X, the religious affiliation is not immediately mentioned as an identifying characteristic. In fact, it's almost never mentioned, except where someone Jewish is being reported about.

Presumably the identifying characteristics used by the media are for purposes of "objective" reporting. Presumably these characteristics are used to give readers all the "facts" necessary. One of the 5 Ws that reporters are supposed to include is "Who." But what does "who" consist of? If in 99 out of 100 cases that "who" consists of a name and perhaps a business affiliation, then why make the exception when you are writing about Jews? Why? I'll let you guess.

Years back I subscribed to a professional journal that had relevance to the classes I was teaching. In an article on an archaeological dig taking place in the Middle East, one of those involved in the dig was identified as an orthodox Jew. None of the others involved in the dig had such a religious or belief identification. I fired off a letter to the journal demanding an explanation for this identification. What academic goal was being fulfilled by this identification? What information necessary to understand the article did this identification supply? And if religious affiliation was necessary for understanding, why were the others not identified by religious affiliation? What answer did I get back from the journal? Actually, I was surprised that they sent me an answer altogether, that is until I read the answer. They thought that the religious label was an interesting fact for their readers, there not being all that many orthodox Jewish archaeologists around. Say what?!

When I see an example of this kind of antisemitism I fire off a complaint to the offending publication. Yes, I know, my complaint isn't going to change a darn thing. However, that doesn't mean that I don't want these publications to lose the knowledge that someone "out there" saw what they did and can call a spade a spade. As I pointed out to one publication, if their religious characterization had been even handed there would be no complaint. But when a religious Jew was a Nobel Laureate, suddenly "orthodox Jew" wasn't an interesting fact any longer.

Antisemitism? Different form, different shape, different intensity, yet still there.

On Jonathan Pollard

I mostly keep away from politics, but that doesn't mean always. The link below is to a video well worth watching, regarding Jonathan Pollard. If you're like-minded, there are a number of things you can do, as delineated in the message received from Justice4JPnews and reprinted below:

Please watch the short video: "Should Jonathan Pollard be released?":
YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX8KY4VxoXk
(You can also view the video below.)

Please send it to at least 10 people (or more) with a request that each person who receives it from you, should please send it to 10 more people, who should in turn send it to 10 more people who should in turn send it to 10 more people and so on.

Please send the video link to anyone who has a large email distribution list and ask them to distribute it to their mailing list as a matter of "Pikuach Nefesh" (literally to save a Jewish life -- Jonathan's!)

Please send the video link to Jewish organizations and groups, and ask them to share the video with their mailing lists, as a matter of Pikuach Nefesh (literally to save a Jewish life -- Jonathan's!)

Anyone who can post the video link to their website or blog is encouraged to do so.

Please take a few moments of your time to do your part in the mitzvah of pidyan shvuyim by ensuring that all of your friends and family receive the video link and that they watch it!
May all who participate in the mitzvah of pidyan shvuyim by disseminating this video and by calling the White House at 202-456-1414 to tell President Barack Obama to Free Jonathan Pollard Now! be abundantly blessed!

Thank you for your help.

A Petition Worth Signing

No one has ever called the UN a bastion of objective truth. UNESCO, as part of the UN, clearly needs an "English teacher lesson" on the difference between fiction and non-fiction. The link below is to a petition protesting UNESCO's "ruling that Israel has no right to add the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, where almost all of Israel's patriarchs and matriarchs are buried, to the National Heritage list. It also protests " the decision by UNESCO to re-label as an Islamic mosque the tomb of Rachel, Israel's other matriarch, and to demand that Israel remove the site from its National Heritage list."

There are almost 23,000 signatures to date. Whatever the outcome will be--and given that this is the UN we are talking about that outcome may not be what we would want it to be--let the UN clearly understand and see that thousands upon thousands of people know the truth and are willing to say so. Whatever UNESCO is peddling, truth isn't it.

And please take a moment to send the link to those on your email list. This is one way to let our voices be heard.

http://www.petitiononline.com/rabbiv/petition.html

News About Gaucher Disease

Gaucher disease is one of those diseases that affects Jews at a greater rate than the general population. From the article linked to below: " In the general population, one person in 50,000 is affected by the disease. Among people genetically connected to the Ashkenazi Jewish population of central and eastern Europe, it's one person in 750. "

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1110/gaucher_discovery.php3

Today's the Day

Frankly, I don't care which political party you favor or which candidates. What I do care about is that you get up and go vote. Being able to vote is both a right and a privelege, and not exercising that right makes no sense. Plenty of people around the world who would give everything to have the right to decide what goes on in their country.

There are so many people who spend a lot of time complaining about the condition of our country, about the condition of our government, about the people in Congress. You can't complain about what goes on here if you are part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Well, now's the chance to actually do something instead of just talking about it. Go out and vote!

It's The Law...Full Stop

There are any number of laws that I don't particularly like or even agree with. But, they are the law, and my full compliance is required. I don't get to pick and choose which laws I'll obey fully and which I will fool around with when I don't think I'll get caught. I have the choice of contacting various public officials and lobbying to have those laws changed which I don't like. But until or unless those laws are changed or eliminated I MUST obey them.

The last few weeks have presented us with two tragedies, tragedies that occurred because two young people went against the law governing their behavior in the situations they found themselves in. In the first case, an 18-year-old girl was texting while driving her car, against the law in NY, and hit and killed someone. In the second case a 13-year-old girl died when she was a passenger in a van being driven by a 16-year-old who was speeding and driving without an adult licensed driver in the car, in violation of his permit and the governing law.

Now granted, young people are not renowned for their maturity and logical thinking in many cases at many times. Both of these accidents might have been about an individual just plain not thinking correctly at one given time, with disastrous results all around. It is possible that these were both just isolated incidents. And it is also possible that these incidents were exemplars of a systemic disregard for the law on a pick and choose basis.

If I had just a nickle for every time I've seen a driver on the road using a hand-held cell phone or texting or operating other devices that occupy that driver's hands and mind, I'd be retired and living the life of Reilly in sunnier climes. Such drivers create an unsafe driving climate for all of us. And the law is clear and well-publicized--the mentioned activities are illegal. Let one of these (frum) drivers have an accident or get caught by the police and a brouhaha erupts that the police are unjustly targeting these people, the law is coming down unnecessarily hard on these people, and, after all, "everyone" does it so why be so harsh in punishing the ones who are caught? There's one answer for that question that says it all: it's the law, full stop. If you break that law, be prepared to suffer the consequences.

Re the 16-year-old driving without an adult licensed driver with him, 16 may be young, but I'd be willing to bet that any 16-year-old with a driving permit is quite aware that he/she is NOT allowed to drive by themselves without adult supervision. It's breaking the law to do so. And I would also imagine that the law was the last thing on this teen's mind when he offered to drive home his friend and his friend's sister. After all, what could possibly happen on a short trip in the neighborhood? Well, that unthinkable happened, and a young girl died. Not only was he driving without supervision, but he was going twice the posted speed limit, also against the law. And then there was the issue of the killed passenger not wearing a seat belt. Not answered but a question that many have is did the driver's parents know that he was getting in the car to drive, and did they allow this?

I am not trying to pour salt in the wounds of the young people and their families involved in these two incidents, and yes, I cry for what the outcome might be for those arrested , but I am also concerned about the implications community wide. There are far too many people who look at the law, any law, as a maybe I will or maybe I won't obey it situation. The news media have been full of coverage about those in Klal who have been caught violating any number of laws governing money/business practices. The recent discussion about alcohol being provided for those who are underage on Simchas Torah and at other times clearly points to violations of the laws governing alcohol use. People jokingly discuss openly how they've managed to get around the law on reporting income or paying taxes. School administrators, legally mandated to report abuse of children in their schools, routinely cover up those abuses.

There seems to be an attitude on the part of some members of Klal that if it is "their" law we can take it as only a suggestion rather than a requirement. That our own halachah also governs many of these actions, which are clearly against halachah, seems to be besides the point for too many people. They "simply" interpret the halachah to match what they want to do. We are forbidden to engage in enterprises that are clearly a sakonah. How are the two incidents described above anything but a sakonah?

I wouldn't have thought it necessary, but it clearly is, that parents and schools and shul rabbis need to stress that the law is the law and we all have to obey it. Parents and adults in the community need to set better examples for our children by themselves obeying the laws of the land, and they need to do a better job of supervising their children and stressing that breaking the law has serious consequences, so we don't break it.

The result of breaking the law can be deadly literally, and we surely do not want to have to mourn any more children whose lives have been tragically lost because of an attitude that obeying the law is optional.

Media Objectivity? In What World!

Yet again the media are showing that the words fair and objective cannot be applied to them. We now have the case of Elias Abuelazam, a serial killer, whom the media are identifying as Israeli. So, what comes to your mind immediately when you hear the word Israeli? That's right, Jew. And that connection isn't an accidental one on the part of the media. It's what they want you to think.

Only it happens that Abuelazam is an Arab Christian who just happens to live in Israel. That's not the picture the media want you getting. Amazing how they can spell the word Arab when it suits their purposes, particularly when they want to show those "poor" Arabs as the victims of Israeli/Jewish aggression. But let the shoe be shown to be on the other foot and suddenly they find that Israeli is just the right word to use. Do they truly believe that the whole world is that dumb?! Apparently they do.

For the Rebbetzin's Husband's take, go to

http://rechovot.blogspot.com/

The Nose Knows

Science and scientific study may not be important in some sectors of Klal, but in others it's alive and well. Scientists at the Weizman Institute in Israel have invented a new mobility device for those whose ability to move has been destroyed by illness or accident. Imagine being able to manipulate a wheelchair or a computer just by sniffing through your nose. A link to the article below.


http://jewishworldreview.com/0710/sniffing.php3