DENY, DENY, DENY YET AGAIN

     There seems to be a bad policy in this country that leads its government, its politicians and its citizens to deny what is right in front of their faces. It is on the same level of the little boy caught with the chocolate smear on his face who will deny eating the piece even with the evidence right there. It seems the rest of the world has caught on as well, much to the detriment of the residents of the world at large.
     Those in charge of the VA health system thought that by telling lies, either by omission or commission, about its functions and lists and care of the veterans that all would remain hidden and the "malcontents" who complained would be ignored. Well, so much for that.
     GM thought it could deny and lie its way out of the mess it is in and accused the plaintiffs and their "malcontents" of malicious speech and rumors and said they were denying the facts before them, that drivers were responsible for the accidents, not them. Well, so much for that.
     The government and NSA denied, yelled, shouted to the rooftops that they were not spying on American citizens, you know, the normal ones, not the terrorists. Snowden broke that one wide open and while I do not agree with all that he has done, he did force the government to admit what it had done. Me, personally, well, I had been saying for years that I was sure that we were all being listened in on and HA! I was right. Once again, the "malcontents" were correct. The deniers of NSA were outed. Well, so much for that.
     The European countries that expressed indignation at being spied upon had to yell out the other side of their mouth when their spying on the USA was uncovered. Hey, spying has gone on since the beginning of time and it was during the time of Elizabeth I of England that the first modern spy ring was established so, so much for that.
     Here, in CV, we evidently have the same deny mentality as they, those in UCO administration, complain about "malcontents". Well, so much for that. Read between the lines.

BRING ON THE BIG GUN! FIRE! OOPS - BIG DUD!!

     Well, it is easy to tell when Davidisraelland is running scared, heading for the  shelters. They bring out the big gun, Lanny Howe, and he sounds off and pffft - it is a dud. Never takes off. Let's see why.
     First off, this stupidity again of suing ourselves is just so stupid already it is beyond words. Using one's own insurance is not suing oneself. Have you ever had a flood in your home? Storm damage? Car accident? Used your insurance then? Well, there you go and evidently it is ok for UCO to use insurance for some of the fixing up but not for the rest of us. How quaint that thinking is. How typical of the deny the rights of people thinking that passes for policy in Davidisraelland.
   Next. Yes, one can get cracks, line cracks, perhaps even a bit bigger but not cracks that look like they are studying to become chasms. Try what we have near Camden M unless you guys sneaked over there and fixed it as you promised the Association president. As for the flooding? Ask Howie Silver, but please, gently, as he is a favorite of mine, sweet and kind, and I hate when he gets upset. If it did not flood before when we had the same drainage system, then WHY does it flood now? If it wasn't broke - as the vernacular says - then why did we break it and cause the flooding and in fact why did we not do the work in the proper order which would have alleviated much of the flooding.
     Once again, please stop blaming the delegates for the poor job we have . The buck stops at the top - David Israel and his honcho, Ed Black along with Roger Carver as CAM. We had no project manager - the fault of David Israel. We had a ridiculous contract and no contract attorney - the fault of David Israel and we had no proper presentation to the delgates either - the fault of David Israel.
     Finally, stop crying wolf already with the insurance companies. We will all have insurance, have had insurance after claims from damage, including severe storm damage. This suit is about incompetence and we all know where that lies.
     So, Lonny, sorry, but your big gun went pfft in a major way. Please try to come up with some new material soon as it is getting boring reading the same old same old re this matter.

JUST A FEW QUESTIONS

     David Israel has announced a new salinization program for the pools. I am all for advances in keeping the waters of our pools clean and healthy but I am not sure what this means. The explanation was very brief and does not state if the water will be affected by way of turning salty or not. If that would be the result, I think there is much to think of before moving forward with the project. People need to be asked about their thoughts on this matter. We all know that salt burns an open cut so there are issues. If it does not change the salinity of the pool, then that needs to be stated and an example of such a process needs to be given so we can investigate for ourselves.
     Another question. It has been told to me that the new carpeting in the Clubhouse will only be able to be cleaned by drycleaning methods. Well, what about the fumes and the chemicals that come from this method. There are too many people in this Village with complications of the lungs and for sure they do not need this to be added to their problems. Again, I was only told about this and am looking for any information about this.
     Finally, will someone please tell David Israel to drop this stupidity of stating that we are suing ourselves. Only his deluded followers and sycophants actually believe this because it is just so dumb it is beyond words. So is the statement trying to convince us that giving to the lawsuit is illegal. Not really, David Israel, not really.
     And that does it for the questions right now.
     Whoops! Had to come back and add this in. Just read Elaine Brown's oh so very intelligent posting and I wonder just exactly when did she get her degree in engineering? Reflection cracks?! That is as intelligent as that Canadian woman who said that she had them in Canada, so why not here? Uh huh. A reflection crack does not allow one to stick a hand in and wave hello to underground denizens. A reflection crack is not a raised piece of sidewalk so that people can trip and fall. A reflection crack is not a new pond big enough for fishing, certainly for wading! Please, why not just admit that there were serious errors here and it needs to be rectified and indeed is going to be if the Paving Lady contract works out but that is just a small piece of the mess. Oh, it has been stated that some corrections will be paid for via insurance funds. Really? How did we get insurance money for this? Did we sue M&M for the job? Did we "sue ourselves"? Oh my, oh my. What do we have here.
    Need some answers here, ones that make sense, please.

AN ANSWER TO A KNOW NOTHING WHO LETS ALL KNOW HOW LITTLE HE KNOWS

    So sorry you do not like that I write at night or early morning. So sorry that you think I am not allowed to think for myself and write what I want on my own blog.Guess your brain does not function correctly at any time so I understand the jealousy and the circuitous logic that you apply to a piece of bad writing of your boss.. Why not just advise your lord and master David Israel to give up already on that stupid statement of "don't sue yourself." No one is suing themselves. The suit is against UCO and David Israel which he finds quite uncomfortable, but remember, all things lead back to whence they came. David Israel's incompetence has come home to roost.
     Anytime you need help in expressing your thoughts I offer you the same tutoring lessons, free, that I offered to David Israel.
     This is all the time I have to waste on you. Whatever pearls of mud drop from your mouth or your pen in the future will get the treatment they deserve - nothing! So sorry. My time is too valuable to waste on you.

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT - AGAIN

     Once again here I am sitting by the computer at 2:30 AM. Can't sleep, but this time there is a legitimate excuse - major ear pain - so here I sit, waiting till 9 so I can call the doctor. Again.
     I began my  routine on the computer, going to various sites and got stuck on David Israel's blog. He must be running scared at the growing fund for the lawsuit given by  people and entities in the Village who believe in its necessity,  the only way to get sufficient funds for the repaving. In fact, if one reads Treasurer Howie O'Brien's column, the only way to answer his questions in the column is to answer, "We will gather the funds we need to restripe and fix things as they come along when we win the lawsuit." He poses questions about funding and also says we have a reserve fund elsewhere, but really, we have 3 months funding in hand. That is it. True, we are beginning to build up reserve funds again, finally, but would not have had this problem if David Israel and Ed Black had not raided all the reserve funds - against our by laws - for the miserable paving job of $5 million dollars!
     As for the restriping - we would not need this already if the original striping had been applied properly instead of being painted when the garbage paving material was still wet. As it dried, it sank into the tar and nearly disappeared, a faded yellow once again. That is why so many Associations have already repainted their parking spaces and street markings.
    So, now David Israel pompously states that he has contacted a lawyer - probably Rod Tennyson, the UCO lawyer -who is well past his sell by date and who gives David Israel the answers he requires. There is nothing that can stop an Association from donating or allotting funds to anything it so desires, limited only by by-laws, governmental laws such as to illegal organizations, etc - which the lawsuit is not, the funds to allocate and the vote of the board. The desires and needs of David Israel have NOTHING at all to do with the ability of Associations to write a check for whatever it wishes - see above. One lawyer's opinion, if that, is exactly that - an opinion - and the lawyer for the plaintiff has a different opinion. That is what makes the legal world go round - lawyers defending different opinions. I guess the lawyers for GM have differing opinions from those of the plaintiffs in their disastrous car malfunctions too. Should the plaintiffs there not sue!!!
    It is one's desire to contribute  that is the only factor here. Hey, you can even donate to UCO if you wish. It is YOUR RIGHT to do so, though as usual, the David Israel administration wishes to limit our rights, even going so far already as to tell us that we have no right to free speech, and now here is right #2 they wish to deny. Stand up for your rights, just do it politely and without lies or shadings of the truth.
     PS. The letter to the editor written by William Gaiser is almost nonsensical in its flawed reasoning and phrasing. The lawyer specifically has stated that he is NOT working on a contingency basis, so perhaps you need to see the ENT with me today!
     PPS. As far as the "resort" issue, I wholeheartedly agree - can you believe that , Betty!!! But - if you wish to limit unit ownership, first check with Ed Black and Bob Marshall as it has been told to me that they own quite a number in some Associations. I have never checked it out, but worth it if you are going to push forward with this issue. And why not ask the UCO administration to take up this issue. It is certainly important. If you are serious about this, just call me and we can work on this - but that will happen when there is a cold day in May here in Florida!

YOM YERUSHALAYIM - JERUSALEM DAY

     Tonight and tomorrow throughout the Jewish communities all over the world there will be celebrations, speeches, parties and commemorations . Why? Because tomorrow marks the 47th anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem, its reunification, and the ability of Jews to once again pray at their holy site,the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. The Mandelbaum Gate was opened permanently and the pictures of the tired and joyous paratroopers who liberated the Wall became famous, iconic. Here were no longer little boys with hands raised in surrender with guns aimed at them. Here were Israeli soldiers, boys, yes, but boys who were defending their homeland, their families.
     Once again Israelis were able to freely travel to the Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus, to the Hebrew University there, to walk the byways of Jerusalem and environs once more, to visit the graves of holy and historical figures in Jewish history, to rebuild what had been neglected over the years, to straighten the tombstones on the Mt. of Olives, to remove them from the urinals where the Kingdom of Jordan had placed them, from the pathways, where the soldiers trod on them.
     In 1969, after saving for two years and as a deferred honeymoon, Gerry and I took our first trip overseas, our first trip to Israel where we planned a 10 week stay, to tour, to walk, and to meet our family there, many survivors of the Holocaust or the luckier ones who had come prior to WWII on foot and by ship.
     We did not know what to expect or what we would feel when first we saw the Kotel, the Western Wall. In fact, our first view was perplexing. It was a stone wall surrounded by rubble, a very small plaza and people standing around in various poses of life. We walked to the stones that were stuffed with notes in every crevice, a post office for G-d. We touched the stones, lay our heads on them and said our private prayers and backed away. Emotional? Yes, but not overwhelming and after 12 years of private day school education I thought there would be more. I was disappointed.
     Several weeks later it was the eve of Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, the day when two Temples were destroyed, and the day when so many of the terrible events throughout Jewish history in the Diaspora had taken place. We decide to go to the Wall that night to say and hear the special Megillah or scroll that was read, Eichah. So in the dusk we walked through the Old City's narrow streets, a throng growing with every step. It was a quiet crowd. Finally we came to the end of the street and had to slide and stumble down a hill of rubble and did so. Hundreds of others did so as well. The plaza in front of the Wall was crowded and silent and seemed to expand as so many people sat down on the stones of the plaza and then....the eerie, heart wrenching sound of the first notes of Eichah were heard.       Suddenly the plaza was quiet no longer as people joined in while tears ran, no, streamed down their faces for here, once again, after so many years, we were free to say our ancient prayers and mourn the tragedies that had taken place. Here we could remember the promises that G-d had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And here was where the emotional response to the Wall took place. I will never forget it and can still feel the tingle in my bones, in my heart, from that night.
     Jerusalem Day is a day of joy. The Mandelbaum Gate was destroyed shortly after; the gates of the Old City were thrown open once more, and the plans to rebuild that which had been destroyed began. Finally, only recently, was the Rambam Synagogue, the Churvah (the destroyed, ruined), was rebuilt and its walls once again ring with the sound of prayer. It is also a day of sadness when we think of the lives of so many young soldiers lost in order to regain that which had been lost, even as they kept destruction to a minimum. Golda Meir had pleaded with King Hussein of Jordan to stay out of the war, but he threw his lot in with his fellow Arab countries and for that, he lost much, much which was not really his in the first place.
     Tomorrow we celebrate Jerusalem Day. In our synagogues we recite prayers of joy, of thankfulness that G-d has allowed this to be returned to us. After 2,000 years of Diaspora, of pogroms, of Holocaust, of being pillaged, beaten, raped, burned and forcibly converted....after all those millennium - we were home again and a major part of that home, its heart, Jerusalem, was united again. May it remain so for all eternity, please G-d. Am Yisrael Chai - The nation of Israel lives!

WHAT WE REMEMBER ON MEMORIAL DAY

     Today is Memorial Day, when one is supposed to remember those  who have given their lives or been grievously wounded during service to their country. All over the country groups such as the Boy Scouts, veterans groups and other civic organizations place flags on the graves of soldiers. Politicians give lip service to the sacrifices of our soldiers, men and women, who have given truth to the line from the song which asks the questions "Where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing..." and answers it with the line , Gone to graveyards every one. When will we ever learn...."
     Armed conflict is sometimes necessary though the path towards it might have led to another conclusion if only, if only... The question is, though, why has mankind never learned another way, a fair way, of resolving issues and why does it seem even worse now? The continent of Africa is rife with tribal and religious warfare, with brutal slayings, kidnappings, burnings. The nations of the Far East are posturing once more, claiming lands and sea areas, threatening other Asian countries. The Middle East is afire. Ultra right wing politics has made a comeback in Europe and here in the United States we are engaged in great debates whether we should send in troops, pull them out and everything in between.
     I am neither a pacifist nor a war monger; I know that the Bible distinguishes between wars of mitzvah - wars that MUST take place - and those that are not. Do we? Does the world? And what do we truly remember today?
     The recent Yom Hazicharon, or the Day of Remembrance, in Israel, is truly a day when the country remembers. Stores are shuttered, the cemeteries are crowded with families and friends of the slain, the television has appropriate programming with the ceremonies and the stories of the slain, with music that speaks to the soul of the loss, of the grieving and the deep desire for peace. The entire country comes to a halt when the siren of memory is sounded.It is truly a day of memories and honor.
     And here in the USA? True, there are some parades, but they are just about celebratory, rather than memorial, as we celebrate our armed strength and that is okay to do, but we need more. But what we get as more is the following - stories of the opening of the summer season, the seasonal opening of amusement parks in the north, first official day at the beach and stories about beach weather or not, sales, oh, such sales, at the stores and malls of America as if the soldiers died so that we could get 20% off somewhere.
     We have strayed far from the original purpose of this day. We must remember it more, even as we stream to the beaches and pools, to the stores and parks. Enjoy the life that the sacrifice of others has made possible, yes, but please, please, do spend some time in memorial mode for otherwise, all this day has become is another bank holiday. One of the first things to remember to do each year is to watch the National Memorial Day Concert that takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Every year it brings me to tears. It is well done, powerful and made excellent additions to classrooms in teaching the students something about the true purpose  of Memorial Day.
     Remember our fallen. Remember the sacrifices that war demands. Remember that we must find the right way to achieve peace, a true peace, where all are honored and respected and hatred does not flourish. Remember.

INTIMATIONS OF MORTALITY

     Friday morning we attended the funeral service of a wonderful and kind man, half of a longtime Village couple. Over the past year we have lost several good friends and people we had gotten to know in the course of life. Some of these deaths were so sudden that there had been little or even no time to prepare for the loss.  I wondered what it all meant, that so many good people  had been taken from us.
     Years ago we had the whole world and all the time in the world to do what we wanted to do, what we wanted to accomplish but quicker than we had thought possible, here we are, enjoying retirement, yes, but also realizing that this is Act III and time for us to evaluate and change, if we can. Like it or not, we are closer to our Maker than we have ever been before.
     As I scanned the people attending the service on Friday, as I recalled the crowded service and burial of a good friend on the eve of Passover, I thought about people. We all make an effort to attend a funeral service, rearranging our time and plans, hugging family members with whom we had a falling out and the question is why? Why do we wait to do this? Why can we not take the effort while there is time to do something, to rectify a wrong, to smooth over a rough spot in the plain of life?
     I do not know the answer. Perhaps it is simply part of being human and the inability to let go of perceived wrongs, real and imagined. Reality is in the eye of the beholder and is not easy to overcome. I am just as guilty of doing this as other people and will try to improve but I know it will be difficult. In a recent book I had read there was a line that stated that the more you hold on to something, the stronger it becomes. Maybe we all need to think about that and understand what it means to us as we live our lives. But we must not fall into the trap of thinking that of course we are right and the others all wrong for there is right and wrong on both sides of an issue (and I am censoring myself now in an effort to follow what I have just said, difficult as it may be). I only hope that I can stick to this and hope that others will try the same thing. It is perhaps the only way we can survive in this world, us, as individuals and the world in general.
     Intimations of mortality, indeed.

INCOMPETENCE AT THE REPORTER OR EVEN WORSE

     There is something awfully nasty going on at The Reporter, supposedly our Village paper. It is supposed to be neutral and fair, open to all as long as civilized language is followed. Three times this year Joy Vestal, both the co-editor and a vice president of UCO, a clear conflict of interest, has crossed me and done wrong by me.
     First we had paid for  a full page ad, in which was to be placed an open letter to David Israel regarding certain behaviors and statements he and his minions had made and inferred during the campaign. She and her co-editor, Myron Silverman, refused to allow it in, though they certainly grabbed my money, and said either it gets censored to their satisfaction or it does not go in. I rewrote part of it simply to get it in, but it was manifestly unfair and a violation of free speech.
     Second was when Joy had a reporter call up and say that Joy wanted an article written THAT DAY for the paper. Well, since I do not work for the paper, I do not march to Joy's beat and I said, I will write the article IF she gives me a monthly column. She said, "Oh, what a wonderful idea and she will just clear it with the paper." I wrote the article and then Joy Vestal lied through her teeth and said, "What article?"
     Now I placed a half page ad with this blog address and paid for a set up fee which was done quite nicely by Bob Rivera. I agreed to it and expected to see the ad in the paper. When I looked on line - THERE IT WAS NOT. When I called Joy Vestal and asked her about it, telling her this is the third time she has crossed me she shouted ,"I do not have to listen to this" and disconnected the phone.
     Shortly after this I received a call, an apologetic call from Bob Rivera who stated that it was his fault, as Advertising Manager or Editor for the first time; he had forgotten to make a PDF file and send it in. Could be . Maybe. He profusely apologized and gave me an offer of two months in the paper for the ad. I accepted, but must say that I have my doubts and this could be Bob Rivera pulling Joy's nuts out of the fire. In the meanwhile, I will accept Bob's apology and offer of two months, but am waiting for Joy's apology for this error that was made and for her behavior on the phone. Perhaps Joy needs to give up something - vice president or co-editor, or Channel 63 - all major conflicts of interest.
     People, if we allow this to continue, we have only ourselves to blame. Speak up at the delegate assembly, ask questions, demand answers, write on a blog, do something.

MUSINGS IN THE EARLY AM

     Almost four in the morning and I have been at the computer for close to two hours. It is both a gift and a curse to be up in the middle of the night when no one is around. That is the gift. One can hear one's own thoughts and take the time to think things through, yet on the other hand, one is craving the luxury of sleep, the ability to close one's eyes and get another blissful and blessed few more hours of sleep.
     But, instead, here I sit, reading headlines and stories, doing crosswords and even Sudoku which I do not necessarily love. And here I sit getting even more sad and perhaps resigned to the fact that things never change. Israel's Maccabi  Tel Aviv team won a championship in Europe by beating the Real Madrid team. Instead of taking the loss as that, no, it became the excuse for a vile outpouring of over 18,000 tweets on an anti Semitic hashtag. 29% of  adults in Spain are anti Semitic according to a survey so how much has changed since 1492 and the horrific years of the Inquisition? Now the mine disaster in Turkey is being blamed on the Jews because an owner has a Jewish son-in-law! People throw bananas at sports figures they do not like and who are of a different color. Will we never learn? Will baseless hatred never stop?
What is its point and where does it get us, the human race? Certainly no further along in solving our problems.
     Here in our own little world, CV, the situation is not really all that different. Baseless hatred? Jealousy? Desire for power? Even more nefarious reasons? These and other base emotions keep our UCO administrative body from making use of all its residents and their talents and instead induces bad feelings and worse. Today is Challenge Day 18.
Where are the answers to my requests for committee placements? To date, there are none aside from one excuse.
     If one looks at the sign in sheets of  meetings in UCO there are now the same names over and over again, with few guests of opposition to the present administration. There are a few stalwarts who have continued to fight the good fight, those who prevented the administration from going through with a LIFT for $140,000 for Hastings, but it is hard to be the only one in the room to naysay, to be made to feel unwelcome and unwanted. People have given up. How sad for us.
     And thus concludes the musings of the night.

MORE JOYS OF SOUTH FLORIDA LIVING

     And we continue the litany of joys of south Florida. The sugar ants seem to be having  some issues and have not made an appearance today after yesterday's visit from the exterminator. Perhaps next time they will know this place is not a good hotel for them!
     As for the floor - well, at least we are trapped inside together today and poor Gerry is not wandering around looking for a welcoming and interesting place to stay for several hours. But it seems that the floor will take longer to dry today as there are several coat applications. Beginning to feel under house arrest!
     Now for the true joy of life in this season - hurricanes, although I must say that after this winter's weather followed by the tornadoes and storms of the spring, hurricanes are not the only scary weather phenomenon to hit the USA. The report from NOAA today calls for a below average season and hopefully we will continue our trend of avoiding catastrophic hurricanes. Here for Frances, Jean, and Wilma, and in NY for Sandy, I think I have had enough of hurricanes. Still and all, all it takes is one to hit where one lives and it is a bad season. Tarps and flooding and hunting for contractors, avoiding the dishonest ones, finding fresh food, gasoline, getting a cold drink and a hot shower and the list goes on.
     So, as soon as we are free of house arrest here, we will check our batteries, check our lanterns and lamps, radios and digital TV, flashlights, dry food, water supplies, paper goods and anything else we might need - and of course keep an eye out for weather reports and a quick link to the airlines!
     Still and all, we love it here and are here all year round, for better or worse and realize that no one is exempt from the good Lord's weather. So get your supplies and batten down the hatches.

AAAH, THE JOYS OF LIVING IN SOUTH FLORIDA

     So there are apparently hidden joys to living here in south Florida. This morning we got up, went into the kitchen and lo and behold! It was apparent that we had not gotten the notice that a convention of sugar ants had reserved our kitchen. Needless to say, we proved to be quite hostile to these unexpected guests who had seemingly moved in and set up housekeeping while we were in Texas. Quicker than ASAP the exterminator was called and appeared with his magic potions and we are planning a mass funeral any day now!
     Next pleasure. It is seemingly weeks on end that the work on the building began and we are not yet done. First the painting and the constant reparking of the cars. Then the catwalks and since we decided to upscale from the paint, boy, were we in for so many treats. First, the noise. Every day we hear the dulcet tones of scraping, smoothing, and today the screech of some spraying machinery. Atonal composers, come for your inspiration! Second thru ten - the dust, the grit. The air is cloudy with particles making it hard to see without squinting and hard to breathe. One's eyeballs feel like the playground for particles and must carry around an eye rinse. The furniture? The floors? Fuggetaboudit! the mopping and the vacuuming are never over.
     To top it all off, today we are prisoners either in or out of the home. Their time estimates were off by hours so now we are caught inside or outside, missing appointments and having to change plans and all because we all got a bit vain and wanted to upgrade. Wonder why we all decided that good old paint wasn't enough. "Vanity of vanities!"
     Oh, well, I guess we will see Godzilla another day but it sure would be nice to see my husband again since early this morning. He is now roaming the streets and byways, the strip malls, trying to keep occupied till he is allowed back. Oh, well, the plans of mice and men, as they say.
    Aah, the joys of life here.

IT'S A MAD MAD MAD WORLD! REMEMBER THAT MOVIE?

     Remember seeing that movie? It was a madly comic fast moving movie, almost dizzying in its pace, if I recall correctly, and it pointed out many absurdities of the world at that time. Well, not much has changed in the absurdities of the world since then.
     Republicans and Democrats hammered at each other so badly last term that they won the dubious honor of being awarded the most do nothing Congress title. Tea Party candidates are losing elections, yet still pulling the Republican Party to the right? Why?
     Over 300 terrified mostly Christian girls are brutally kidnapped in Nigeria with a dim outlook for their future and their captor, a nutjob from the getgo, blusters away on the video links to the world, laying out his demands while questioning why all the fuss, after all, they are only girls, female, so of no importance.
     NYU, well known university, expands to Abu Dhabi and in partnership with the Emirate, has a campus built over there. OK, not a big deal as universities are doing that today, building in other countries. Even the Technion from Haifa, Israel is building, in a joint effort, on Roosevelt Island. BUT - there is a difference. NYU, is the same university where students were allowed to rampage freely thru a dormitory with many Jewish residents, and shove "evacuation" notes under their doors, all in conjunction with the BDS movement which targets, unfairly, the country of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. This same university, which swore that the workers, builders of the campus over there would have safeguards, fair treatment, decent living conditions, fair pay, at least for that part of the world and yet....and yet, what did we get for that promise? Horrendous conditions, lies through and through.
     Why are there not any outcries from the BDS group? Why not sanction the Emirates? Why not take NYU to task for what it allowed? These are logical questions and hatred has no logical basis, no logical reasons. Topsy - turvy, mad mad mad world!
     Two thirds of the Jews of France, many originating in French territories and colonies in North Africa, are contemplating emigrating, immigrating to Israel, the country where they are accepted and welcomed. Why must there be a population of Jews, today, in 2014, having to contemplate uprooting themselves because of an ancient and toxic hatred? Why does a supposed rapper, Macklemore, think it is OK to don a "disguise" with anti semitic overtones, using stereotypes to get his message across?
     It is a mad mad mad world indeed and I have no answers to these questions. I have no answers as to why there is still, in 2014, such hatred and baseless animosity, such a turning of blind eyes to issues of importance in the world because the answers will require hard thought and hard work. There are too many trends today that are discomforting, with the courts now favoring big business, with purposeful ignoring of man's share of the blame for global warming and the molasses forward movement in rectifying the problem, or at least starting on it.
     It is incumbent upon us, the electorate, to make our wishes and concerns clear to the politicians and then vote accordingly. Will we do that? Based on past performance and history, probably not. Sad, but true.
     Gotta go and look at some pictures of the grandchildren and get in a better mood. Think about all this. Have a good day out there.

IN HONOR OF ********* (name withheld for privacy)

     Just had a long and lovely conversation with one of my favorite students, ********. She and her parents are wonderful people and became friends over the years. ******* is an example par excellence of what I had hoped to see in my students. She is a proud Jew, advanced in a career where she is highly regarded and valued, yet willing to take a chance on an oft deferred dream of medical school. Ha - here's my chance to cut some future medical costs!
     *******is sweet and caring, feels deeply about the issues that matter to her and keeps in touch with many of her former schoolmates and it really was nice to hear good things about them - the careers, the marriages and children and their continued ties to their heritage.
     All this gives me a good feeling, hoping that I played somewhat of a role in helping them to grow up and become such "menschen" - good people. I loved teaching and even loved being a principal, though teaching is, was, and always will be my first and foremost love - and hearing from these kids is just great. It is my riches, in addition to my family and friends. These kids were my "kids", my educational kids and I lost sleep over them many a night just as they brought me joy and pride on many days.
     Thank you, *******, for calling and tell your parents that I look forward to seeing them this winter - and you too! Regards to all the kids.

CHALLENGE DAY 13

     Just a little note to the effect that today is challenge Day 13 and the silence is deafening, at least in the official channels. On the unofficial ones, I have people vowing on their lives that I will never serve a day on any committee. So nice to be among such friendly folk. It almost makes one choke up with joy!
     In any case, life goes on and life is busy with many interests, unlike some obsessive people, so not to worry. I am enjoying writing about different things and who knows, maybe I will even get back to my plan of writing a non fiction book. Many of my former students and parents ask me when it is happening. Maybe soon. And in the meanwhile I have my blog. Life is good.

ON READING

     Just finished a series of books that I have been reading and they were all great reads and thought provoking. One book is Greg Iles's new book Natchez Burning, another is John Sanford's new book Field of Prey, and the last is actually a trilogy from Tessa Harris about an anatomist in England during the time of the American Revolution. Seem to be very different, but there are themes in common and they make for great reading.
     Natchez Burning is the start of a trilogy and is huge, about 800 pages and well worth it. It has a recurring character from three other Iles books but it is not necessary to read them first, though why deny yourself the pleasure of it? The Sanford's book is about the hunt for a mysterious and eerie serial killer. So how are they similar?
     The question of good and evil and its relativity and interpretation are prominent. Is the law the LAW or should one have broken it if it was immoral, just plain wrong. but what about the influence and knowledge, thoughts of the time? Doesn't that play a part? Are we allowed to make use of evil for the purpose of good? Where does the blame lie now,  in the present,if it lies anywhere? How do we deal with people who are stone cold, thinking people without any morals or brakes? Do we look into the abyss and hope for the best or do we try to find another way?
     In reading the books, one set in late 18th century England, one set in the 90's South, deep South with roots in events in the 60's, and one set in modern Minnesota and Wisconsin small towns, one can wonder where are the similarities and why must we think? Why can we not simply enjoy the book? The answer is you may, why not? But the thought extends the impact of the books and deepens our understanding of the world yesterday and today and we realize that there are eternal questions that must always be answered, but first must be asked.
     I do not want to go any more deeply into the stories for why ruin your reading, but think about some of these questions, the choices of the characters, the events that take place, the similarities of the novels and wonder at the skills of the authors. These novels make us realize that truly the echoes of the past are always there to be heard if only we were to truly listen and understand, as the famous statement goes, "The past is never dead; it is not even the past."
     Enjoy the books. Happy reading and happy thinking.

WHY THE BLOG HAS CHANGED

     This blog had to change comment rules because of the waste of some human beings from Davidisraelland. One sick excuse for a person decided that all he had to do in life was to send threatening comments and now has decided to include Gerry in them. Really, now! Gerry is one of the nicest, kindest people you could ever get to know so what does he have to do with the man in the moon? You are a vicious moron, you coward, who refuses to say who your true identity is! So now, unless you register, you cannot post. You cannot comment. Go look in the mirror and call yourself names since no one else has time to bother with you and your inanities. I certainly do not. My life is rich with friends and family, with activities and interests. obviously you have none so - get the hell out of my life, off my blog and go contemplate your navel if that is all you can do now. Improve the world. Ciao, baby!
     This, fellow CV'ers, is an example of the caliber of people found in Davidisraelland. They have no moral fiber, no good will  for others and no courage or honesty. They can only post if they have the courage of their convictions though the rules at the top still stand. I am sorry for the inconvenience to others, but common decency demands that they not be allowed to pollute the Net. Hey, I guess free speech has its limits! Sound familiar? My blog, my rules.My standards. All who register and adhere to the sandards are welcome. 

GOOD MORNING FROM TEXAS

          Good morning to all from the Lone Star state of Texas. The weather is beautiful, breezy and not humid at all, a big surprise. People are enjoying the unusually comfortable weather as are we, along with our wonderful family here. There is nothing like the hug of a grandchild, all sticky with the ice cream you just bought him.
The walks and talks with the older grandchildren, their excited sharing of the news of their lives, the pride in the graduate to be of eighth grade, the success of an eight year old who took it upon himself to pack lunch for his siblings (never mind that it was a bit heavy on the snack side!) - all this is what it is important in life.
     So this morning I am mellow, away from the corrosive atmosphere to be found in the Village. Today is Challenge Day 11 and David Israel is still hiding from the world behind his minions and his computer tap tap tapping. I say to you, enjoy it while it lasts. If one wants to talk about a legacy - where I am today is one. No one can remember the names of CV UCO presidents from years ago, so indulge yourself right now, go ahead.  Think carefully about your "legacy" about which you talk incessantly. Why not leave a legacy of kindness, of caring, of self sacrifice, rather than the one that is going on right now? Think about it.
     I will return to the Village and my mellow mood will melt, so enjoy your peace now. Maybe you will have evolved, along with your minions, and peace talks can begin!

DIDN'T WE SEE THIS AT THE MOVIES? ON TV? IN A BOOK?

     Two of the most important announcements or stories in the news are related. One was about the melting of the huge ice sheet of Antarctica and the impossibility of halting it, and the other was the pronouncement that global warming and climate change present a security risk and a threat to the world. Greatly diminished land masses and rising sea waters, droughts, vicious weather formations, etc. would lead to overcrowding and fights for resources, for water, food, space, and basic life support.
     Scary. This is life imitating art. We have all seen or heard of the Mad Max movies, Waterworld, a greatly underrated movie called The Postman, Cormac McCarthy's awesome book The Road, TV shows such as Jericho, Revolution, other disaster shows, and the list can go on and on. Meanwhile, just pick up the latest paper, turn on the news and one hears of droughts, of fighting for water rights in the western part of the country, of horrific tornadoes and storms in areas all over the USA and we all remember our own hurricanes and even Hurricane Sandy in NY that was so horrific (I was there) and all the homes still not rebuilt all over the country from all these weather events.
     I tease my grandson about his beloved California - the land of earthquakes, forest fires, mud slides, drought and Santa Ana winds - yet it is really not funny. And we ignore this at our own risk. Denying the facts does not make it so. Yes, there are changes in Nature, and the world has gone through shifts before. The period of times of almost non stop rain in England, the extreme cold that hit Europe -  these had historical effects and all took place over the centuries - but now we have the additional factor of mankind's contribution. Rubio denying this fact does not make it so.
     What can we do? I haven't a clue. I suppose if we all did our bit things might improve, but frankly, we need a worldwide effort and I do not believe that will happen for too many reasons. We can be casual about it and say we will not be here when the 12 foot rise in ocean water will inundate much of the world's coastlines, and a hugely truncated USA will take shape on the map of the world, but how casual will it be for our grandchildren, even for our children?
     Maybe 20, 30 years ago there was a cute show called Dinosaurs, I believe, that I would watch with my kids. It was simply a sitcom with thoughtful overtones, of family life disguised by taking place in a dinosaur family. It ended on a downer, relevant to our times today. Industry and big business had ignored the changing environment as they cut down all the forests of the world. It grew colder, the snow began to fall on and on, and the family huddled together in their cold home, with Papa dinosaur reassuring his freezing and frightened family that it had to get better. Someone would do something. Sound familiar?

TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT

     It seems that we have oh so very delicate souls here in the Village who have never heard a foul word nor said one themselves. I think not. These very same people have used such language on me and others, verbally and in writing, and no one melted from the shock. It just confirmed our opinion of the low levels to which they have fallen and indeed, which they seek. They accuse others of discrimination but conveniently forget that David Israel told a Holocaust survivor to disappear in a puff of smoke, complained about his Jewish support, just as he declaimed against any support I received. This is sad, so very sad, and now because we stand up for our own Constitution, Amendments, and the American way of life, we are denounced as loonies. OH, so very nice.
     Please look in the mirror and check the devil you see. What you seem to see in others is what you actually see in yourselves and for that there is no cure other than to forsake your lies and nonsensical babbling. You quote out of context, masquerade as patriots, when you are obviously not - and gee, David Israel, wonder what the NSA thinks about you now!
   Now not only I, but also Gerry, have been threatened. Really, is that the path you have chosen to walk down, to threaten people as to their safety and well being? It is not enough to send me notes that "never will I grace a UCO committee"? Is it not enough to try now, to run a campaign against me when I have not even decided whether to run again or not, or just remain as a blogger, watching and commenting, a journalist. I am willing to write praise and damnation, whatever is warranted and it is all in your hands. I must say, though, that at this point seldom have I ever crossed paths with such scurrilous and despicable characters, a small group who feel they can control the fate of thousands and do it with a nasty touch.
   Challenge Day 9 is ending and the situation for CV is even worse than I thought.

WHAT A WORLD!!

     What a crazy upside down world. I feel as if I am in the middle of a Bizzaro story in an old Superman comic. Because I wrote about the rise of anti Semitism in the world, (not just in Europe, Don HoHo) but all over, including here in CV (just look at the accusations that David Israel and Co. sent flying thru the air during the last campaign, and indeed, in every other campaign he has engaged in, and we printed the proof of that too.) So because I wrote about a topic, an issue that has been discussed all over the world and the ADL has printed the results of the latest survey with over 25% of the world's population infected with the germ of anti Semitism, because I wrote about this, I am accused of being a racist!!!!! Because I wrote about what the president of the French club had written, I am a racist!!!!! Where does that come from? I do not care whether that guy is Canadian, French, Martian, or an alien from Davidisraelland - what he wrote was wrong, so wrong simply on what he wrote - the limitation of freedom of speech here in CV and today Don HoHo writes about it again with David Israel chiming in with his stupidities on his blog. Bizzaro indeed!
     All this brings to mind a song and musical sequence from Oklahoma, when the villain of the show, Judd, who feels sorry for himself (David, Fred Sanford, and all other idiots), imagines the world feeling sorry for himbecause he is dead and the world spins on as the words "Poor Judd is dead" are sung. Poor pathetic Fred Sanford and others who have sent pathetic, sick emails to me need to imagine this song. Try not to feel too bad for yourself because no one loves you, only feels sorry for you or is threatened by you and your threats . Personally, you are not important enough for me to waste time on unless it is relevant to the topic under discussion and poor pathetic Fred, G-d forbid I had any familial connection to you, so please go graft yourself onto someone else's family tree, troglodyte! Your comments will never be printed and are being cached for possible legal action so hey, keep on a 'comin'. It's your grave you are digging.
     Challenge Day 9 and all we get are personal and scurrilous attacks rather than responses. My life experience, my knowledge of business, contracts, ability to work with people without threatening them, all are being ignored in the face of an insane hatred and fanatic desire and commitment to keep me out of UCO and to truly have a tinpot dictatorship here in the Village. Sorry, guys, won't fly! Corruption and malfeasance of duty, denial of civil rights, hate crimes, cyber bullying, slander and libel - just a few of the topics that are ever increasingly rising to the fore with regard to your public and private behavior. But hey, you just keep it up. It is your collective neck. Have a good day!

THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT

     While it is annoying and frustrating to find oneself up in the middle of the night or early morning, there is also an advantage to it. It is quiet. None of the hustle and bustle of life that affects us even here in the sanctuary of the Village. There are no phone calls, no TV so we do not wake up the spouse or friend, and even the lights are left low.
     So one is left to think, to ponder over the world and the family, to solve all problems, perhaps even finally finish packing, you know, what you never have the time or desire to do during the day, even as the time for the trip grows near. And what else? Now we find where we are, often at 2 or 3 in the morning, treasuring the quiet and able to think, able to write and even play games online without interference.
     It is when I play  you tube songs quietly or surf to find the latest news and opinion around the world, especially in the areas that concern me the most. It is when I answer students and friends, compose stories for my own satisfaction. It is when I laugh at the video of Linda and her son and think, "Linda, honey, " and laugh, thinking of the innocence of children.For me, this is the music of the night and I treasure it for the peace it gives me.
     Sometimes we have to take the seemingly disadvantages of life and convert them into advantages, especially if it does not appear that it will change any time soon. That is life in the middle of the night.
     Of course, it also gives me time and recourse to reflect on the fact that it is now Challenge Day 8 and here we are, still back where we started from, a' waitin' and a' waitin' and getting dumb, moronic and obscene emails from Davidisraelland but I have now decided to not delete these, but keep them for future use - gee, maybe a restraining order?
     Now this is the broken string in the music of the night. How sad that it is there. How sad for those people over there in that strange land. Why not try to listen to the music of the night. Even Caliban was tamed by the sounds of music, so why not you guys! (HINT - Shakespeare)
     Well, enough of you. Almost 6 and the music is fading away, Oh, well, there is always tonite.
     Good morning to all.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS

     Now we have a Canadian telling us there is NO free speech here in the village. I thank him/her for confirming our point, but I do believe he/she means this seriously. If he and those he supports don't like what you have to say, well then you must shut up. After all, this Canadian is telling us so. Well, hate to break the news to you, but here is the newsflash - this is the USA and we DO have free speech and that speech is limited only when that speech causes danger to others, like the proverbial fire shouted in a crowded theater.
     Here are a few choice quotes from our friend to the North.
     "Democratic institutions are to be respected. When people are democratically elected to serve in theses institutions they also should be respected..."

The problem with that is, that one has to earn respect and here in the good ole' USA we have every right to poke fun, accuse and even verbally attack any politician. That is called life here in the States and if we did not have that wow, where would all the papers, commentators, talking heads and political cartoonists and satirists be? Hey, we would even be missing a show called Capitol Steps which visits us every year and is funny as hell.

"She deserves our outmost respect and admiration..."
 Again, that respect is to be earned, not just given out freely as a handout. And as far as health problems are concerned, don't we all. I wish no one ill health and know what it is to battle serious health issues, but I am not deserving of a free ride because of that and neither is Joy Vestal or anyone else here in UCO.

"...allowing defamatory words to be used on their blog are guilty by association.

Well, my Canadian friend, here we do not use guilt by association and if we were to do that then your buddy boy David Israel and his minions are so guilty they could not wash the guilt off in an eternity of baths! The language that David Israel allows on his blog is awful as is the language he allows towards his opponents in assemblies and meetings and even just in the hallways of UCO, in front of anyone and everyone who is there. Guilt by association - not here in the USA. Maybe Canada, but I could not say for sure as I do not know the Canadian code of laws and legal system. And by the way, I do not allow foul language or insults or rude talk, etc. on my blog. So now who is the guilty one?

"There is NO free speech"

Yes, that is your title. If you cannot live with the facts of life here, I will copy what your buddies are always saying and indeed said so again on David Israel's blog again, today - then move.

AND THE OLD HATRED RISES AGAIN - ANTI SEMITISM

        Reading the papers and listening to the news is pretty scary these days, especially for Holocaust survivors. In Romania there is now a list of 220 prominent Jewish citizens who need to be "purged" from the nation if Romania is to thrive. So speaks a candidate for a major office there. The number two person on the list says that there was once a list like this before and those people ended up in concentration camps!
    In Hungary we have the Jobbik party and in the now unsettled Ukraine, we have Russians stirring the pot with anti semitic statements and incidents which they attribute to the Ukrainians and who the hell knows who is telling the truth in this situation. In France we have the right wing party rising in power and in Poland we have that native strain of anti Semitism rising once more. In Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the list goes on. A statement was even made by one Russian that before 1939 Hitler was the "good" Hitler. Really? Dachau, the Nuremberg laws, Krystalnacht , the ongoing destruction of the Jews of Germany and Austria - all this is "good"?
     So the question is, should we be scared? Do we make plans once again? I believe that we need to be watchful and careful. See the hatred for what it is no matter what form or disguise it wraps itself in. We need to make others aware and know that hatred creeps into one's soul in an insidious manner, almost without noticing its increase and depth. We need to make people aware that one hatred leads to another and no one is exempt from its horrors for hatred needs food and it will eat anything in its path.
     We have just commemorated the Shoah, the Holocaust and yet how much has the world internalized? The answer, my friends, is to look within ourselves and see where we stand and then to look without, and see what we can do to make this world, our only world, a better and safer place. Just think about it.

OH DEAR! READING LESSONS TOO? CHALLENGE DAY 6 & 7

     Well, here we go again. Not only does David Israel need writing tutorial lessons, but it seems that many over there also need reading lessons. They must be glad they do not have to take the FCAT Reading test! Now to the tempest in a teapot.
     Joy Vestal lied, avoided the truth, disremembered (you choose your word) several times about articles for the paper. In fact, I was the recipient of one of those lapses of memory about a monthly article after I did a favor for her and quickly wrote an article for the paper on the election (which was published). But, I know how it feels so....Olga lost her temper. Joy makes it easy to do so. I know I barely held on to mine during a conversation at campaign time when she CENSORED an ad of mine (not favorable to David Israel) but gladly took the cash money.
     Anyhow, so Olga lost her temper. Wow! I guess no one ever lost their temper before, huh? Oh, wait, what about David Israel when he curses people in public? What about Marilyn Gorodetzer who does the same in those sweet dulcet tones of hers? What about Ron Rosov when he publicly called me a piece of ****? I guess no one had to be banned from UCO for that, did they, Bob?
     So much for fair play and hypocrisy. Now for reading lessons. I did not say I condoned the language. In fact, I said the opposite. What I also did say is that I understood where it came from. Big difference from excusing it, but I guess you missed the reading comprehension skills going thru school.
    Now you think you are going to use my right of free speech to ban me from committees? Nope. Doesn't work that way. Remember, America, freedom of speech, democracy, you know, all those little things! And David Israel, really, a restraining order! Give me a break. Joy called the cops for a curse word! Hmmm, what can I do when I attend a meeting and get cursed out? What should Barbara Cornish have done when you called her a toxic tart and a whore of Babylon? According to you - should have called the cops.
     Do you really think you are a dictator? Do you think you are anointed for life? Oooh, forgot to tell you and yours that the next time I get another death threat or cursing comment, I will call the sheriff and my own private expert to trace the comment to its source (since the pathetic excuse for a human being does not have the courage to say who it is though I have my thoughts) and then watch you and yours head off to the hoosegow on cyber bullying and restraining orders galore.  Aaah, the power of dreams.
     So... Day 6 has passed and here is Challenge Day 7. Still a waitin'. Still a comin' and ere shall always be until the good Lord takes me home. Now you dream, David Israel and minions.  You too, Lanny Howe.Why you have to make this so complicated is beyond me.

MOTHERS

     Today is Mother's Day. My mother never made a big deal out of it, saying that every day was a mother's day and she did not need any special day or gifts to remind her. So she never got breakfast in bed (and who would dare to mess up her kitchen anyway!), or flowers, or potholders, but she did get kisses and of course, the gifts that we made in school over which she gushed as if Picasso had just gifted her with an original.
     So what is a mother? Well, she is also a Ma, Mama, Mother, Mommy, Ima and whatever the word is in whatever language one spoke. She is the one who took care of you, who made you special treats when you did not feel well, who yelled at you to do your homework, and the one who made you KNOW you were special if you had a bad day.
     Mothers, I read, can push your buttons because they are the ones who gave you those buttons in the first place. Mothers are the ones who think that at age 10 you are a grown up so you should behave better, but also think, no - know - that you are still a child at 32 and 64. Mothers are the ones who will call you 6 times a day, annoying the heck out of you, but the same person you will call six times a day to just feel better, to let her know you are home or have reached your destination, or to get some sympathy. Mothers are the people who no matter how ill they are, will inquire with great anxiety about your paper cut or some other minor issue and will urge you to see the doctor even as they neglect to go.
     Mothers are the most frustrating, loving, important and needed people on this earth. They are the ones we call by a pet name, a nickname we made out of love and they are the ones that we so deeply miss on this and all days when they are no longer with us.
     It is two years that my mother is gone. She lived a full and rich life, wealthy in family and friends, in love, but at the end, even as she still worried over her children and grandchildren, all she really wanted was her Natie, the love of her life since she was 14 and he 16. Just after Passover two years ago, he came for her and she went with his name on her lips along with a smile. So my Ma was gone, my Nellie, (my name for her), and two years later I am still picking up the phone to talk to her, to tell her something I know she would like to hear and my sister does the same thing. Value your Mom. Cherish her memory.
     I miss you, Nellie. I love you more than words can say. Happy Mother's Day and don't drive Pop too crazy up there.

      HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL - TODAY AND EVERY DAY

WHY KEEP THIS UP? CHALLENGE DAY 5

     Why do we keep up the fight? Why do I and so many others in the Village keep tilting at the windmills of David Israel and Co. when at times it seems like a hopeless cause. Perhaps it is because we are optimists? Perhaps it is because we see that we have made strides as we see reviews of processes in the Village, of a bit more careful handling of contracts, knowing that we are continuously and zealously guarding the Village from more debacles. But perhaps it is because of the following sentiment.

     Captain Bill McDonald of the Texas Rangers once said, "No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that's in the right and keeps on a-comin'".

     While we are not Texas Rangers or a police force or anything other than good citizens with concern for their homes, we do feel that we have the right on our side and we are going to keep a - comin' - like it or not, Mr. David Israel and Co. There are too many things that have been done wrong in the Village on David Israel's watch and we will keep a comin' to make sure that it does not happen again and if it does - then we will make sure that the buck stops exactly where it belongs  - on the desk and shoulders of David Israel and his assorted cronies.

     So, David Israel, today is Challenge Day 5 and here I am, still a-waitin' - and still a- comin'. You will need to come out of the closet and reveal yourself as the true nasty old school politician who refuses to do what is necessary for the community, only what is necessary for him to stay in power. Shame, shame, David Israel.

CHALLENGE DAY 4

     Sorry, folks, no funny lines or long posting today. Not feeling very well so not typing much. Just reminding Mr. David Israel that this is Day 4 of the Challenge. Still no word, still no response except for that of Barbara Cornish who told me there was no room. Everyone else is dead quiet. I do not believe there is no room; in fact, I know that on many committees there is room and everybody is just playing possum. Wonder if we need to call the exterminators with their cages and leave you guys out in the swamps? Just how long do you think this can go on? Well, time is still a' tickin' and time a' fleetin' and nothing changes. So sad for all of us.

AAAH, THE SWEET LIFE...

     There it is - Century Village, with its white, beige and pastel colored buildings glistening in the sun. There is where those sweet old folks spend their third act, puttering around, making small talk, and just plain enjoying the sun. How sweet it is!
     But wait, under that outer layer where all seems well there seems to be something rank, something not so sweet. What could it be? Aha! There it is, one group trying to rule the roost, allowing others no say, no voice in controlling their own lives. Well, that is certainly nasty enough, but is that all?
     Nope. Here is the even worse aspect of life there. This same group that tries to control everything now think they can extend their control to the Internet. Talk of megalomania! There is an opponent of theirs (c'est moi), who enjoys writing and, if I may say so myself, is a pretty good writer (though of course not at the poetic level of Lanny Howe). It seems that the ruling group is determined to shut this writer down. How? By threats.
     What threats, you might ask? OK. She has been told to drop dead, die, take a bullet, better watch what she is doing and the like. Not to worry, I am not intimidated, just sad that David Israel and minions must resort to such language and behavior. What are they so afraid of? Why must they feel that all must be in their tight little fists? Just exactly what IS going on in that UCO building that they are so desperate to control and hide? Where is the transparency that David Israel said he would have (not that any thinking person believed him anyway)?
     People out there in the real world, delegates, it is past the time to ask questions and wait for answers. It is time to act, to stand up with those who have spoken up all along, with those who have taken all the abuse. And while we are on the topic of standing up -

DAVID ISRAEL, CHALLENGE DAY 3 IS HERE. WHERE ARE MY ANSWERS TO MY COMMITTEE APPS? WHERE OH WHERE CAN THEY BE?

Times a fleetin' and you need to act, to respond, but be very careful in your response. Just sayin'.

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, VIOLATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES

     We live in CV in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States of America. There is nothing in our bylaws, in the contracts we signed when we purchased units, or in any other paper or law of the Village which states that by living here we waive our rights as guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States. Hence, free speech is our right which is being denied at present. We are not allowed to be on committees. We are not allowed on the Reporter even though we have offered to volunteer and Joy Vestal has pleaded for volunteers at the delegate assembly and David Israel is constantly bleating for volunteers. Evidently one must sign a secret agreement to never criticize his reign and forever swear to follow his lead and orders. Otherwise, why are there no volunteers taken up at their word?
     We residents also have the right to verbal free speech. Unless one's word will cause physical harm along with it or public panic or of a prejudicial nature, there is no reason why people cannot say what they wish. These people have pushed their opponents to the limits and yes, tempers are frayed and when a promise is reneged upon, someone can be fiercely angry. I am not condoning public foul language, but when one has been on the receiving end of so much garbage, such as being told to shut up and shut your face, have been called nasty names, accused of vile things, as we have, then something is going to snap.
     So Olga snapped this time around, calling JoyVestal a two word phrase, a phrase many of us have heard before and maybe even used. Is it pretty? No, but then again, neither are the games they think they are playing, games without consequences for themselves. In response to this altercation, Joy Vestal CALLED THE POLICE on Olga, implying that Olga had threatened her physically. Not so. Not true. And the police left.
     Once again, UCO has used FORCE against its own residents - first with David Israel hiring ARMED deputies with OUR MONEY to intimidate his opponents when truly, can you see his opponents causing physical harm? Really! He is just a coward and cannot take criticism. Now, Joy Vestal has called upon the police to threaten and intimidate another resident, trying to get her to shut her mouth and not point out the inequities and broken promises that were made and reneged upon.
     How much longer are we supposed to take this abuse? How much longer are we to write off our rights? How long are we supposed to disappear? Well, we will not. We will be here, daily, weekly, monthly, year after year until we right the wrongs and have a proper set of officers in office, not bullies and liars.
     Recall is sounding better and better but this time, David Israel will not be allowed to appoint his own review committee. Fair is fair!

WHAT SAY, MR. DAVID ISRAEL, WHAT SAY? CHALLENGE DAY 2

     It is quite a depressing lesson one gets after reading the daily newspaper. Everybody is killing everybody else and of course blaming It on them as well. Children are being caught in a deadly middle, bombed, burned, wounded and kidnapped in order to prove a point that education is no good. Human rights are squelched and voices are being cut off. Is this the world for which so many died during the wars? Is this the world we are going to pass on to our children and grandchildren? Lord, I hope not. I hope that somewhere somehow somebody thinks of something but with that hope also comes the responsibility to speak up and say, "I can make a difference."
     It is also a lesson that can be transferred over into the smaller and more personal world we all live in. Being a volunteer, seeing a need and filling it, adding one's voice to the mix - all this can make a difference. But what to do if one is forbidden to make that difference, forbidden to try to change things for the better, forbidden to partake in the privilege and burdens of government, of civic responsibility? The answer, my friends, is to keep on trying, to challenge those who would demean those who do not kowtow to them, those who would see the light of day shine on all governmental affairs except as they refer to life and limb safety of secret operatives (and no, that does not exist here in CV except possibly in David Israel's mind!).
     So today is challenge day 2 - where is a seat on a committee for me, a committee I requested, a committee on which I can add my thoughts to the mix, add my efforts and all combine to get a better home for all of us? What say, Mr. David Israel? What say? Or are you emulating role models from Turkey, Russia, Egypt, Nigeria, Korea, etc. What say!!!!!!

A CHALLENGE, DEAR DAVID ISRAEL, A CHALLENGE

     This is a very simple and short piece. When are you going to grow morals and a conscience and answer a question - where are my committee app responses. If I do not hear from you and your fellow chairs I will be forced to bring this up at a delegate assembly or perhaps it is grounds for another recall in that you are unfairly and probably illegally blocking people's representation in our UCO, my organization as much as yours.
     As far as answers, I had better not hear a repetitive statement of no room at the inn. If I hear that, along with it had better come a list of ALL members, time of assignment and their living places in the summer months. Yes, you may curse, but I am not going away. Deal with it.
     Enjoy the rest of the COURSE of your day.

WHO'S BEGGING?

     First lesson of the day, David Israel. A good leader should always proofread before publishing. It is a good habit since then one gets into the habit of proofing contracts, but oh, that's right, what contract? For the roads. Oh, that was only a paragraph on a page. Silly me. Never mind. Anyway, the word you wish to use is COURSE, not coarse. Consider that your first free tutorial of the day. We will let the run on sentences and falsified facts tutorials for another day.
     Now for the second tutorial. Just exactly who is begging? Day after day, be it in a post or orally, all you can mouth is to tell, threaten and order people not to monetarily support the lawsuit. If the whole world was with you, as you seem to feel, there would be no need for your constant knell of "don't give, don't give". So who is begging now? Who is feeling a bit pushed up against the wall now? Whose  sins are coming home to roost?
     You keep harping on a "fact" about riches from the suit. NOONE expects riches. You spent it all. All the supporters of the suit wish to do is regain the funds you so blithely wasted, so that we can repave as is needed, in the proper way. And as far as suing ourselves, hmmm. If one is in an accident and files a claim on one's policy, is that person suing oneself? NO, you fool. That person is simply making a legitimate claim on the insurance AS ARE THE PLAINTIFFS HERE.  THEY, TOO, ARE MEMBERS OF UCO AND THE INSURANCE POLICY HELD ON UCO IS THERE TO BE USED IF AND WHEN NEEDED and buddy boy, you have made it needed, desperately so.
    Next lie. There are just so many, a plethora of riches. Ah, got it.

     You said in your posting of last night, "UCO is collecting prudent reserves to pave the roads in due coarse when they actually require repaving."

    I checked the budget figures and even asked the treasurer of UCO about it and was told sure, it is being done, it is there but WHERE? Exactly where is this prudent reserve? Where are the millions we need? Where is the half million dollars a year we saved for so many years in order to do the job and which you so incompetently wasted, just flushed down the toilet? WHERE? Just when can we expect to have another five million plus dollars to repave properly, especially if we piss it away on patches of $25,000 fix ups. And please, do not include the reserves from other reserve accounts as you already did that, taking us down to barely a penny in reserves except for $10,000 held in the legal assistance fund for association that were sued, and $11,000 in the laundry account. Fine financial footwork, that was indeed! And with no delegate input, a violation of our bylaws.
     So once again, David Israel, you are showing your inclination to lie, especially in trying to cover up your incompetence.Why not admit what you did, your malfeasance, and urge the insurance company to settle and let us all get on with life. No one wishes to be embroiled in lawsuits and court issues. No one wishes to keep putting their own funds forth in order to benefit the Village and keep on being heaped with abuse, and yet, that is what the plaintiffs and supporters have been doing. Rather than curse them, why not appreciate their civic mindedness. All whistle blowers have a rough time, but look at what happened with the  tobacco industry, with Erin Brockovitch and the list goes on - and hey, even the NSA was tattled on, caught with their pants down, snooping in every American's business. Incompetence does out and there are consequences.
     Enjoy the COURSE of your day, David Israel.

Oh, by the way, no one failed miserably in the March elections. We made our points and have already seen results - ha, with you even finally admitting errors in the repaving and more. And we are not going away, so you and your minions, just keep looking over your shoulders. We will always be right there, so see you in the next election and in the blogs. Once again, David Israel, enjoy the COURSE of your day.
    

YOM HAZIKORON - ISRAEL'S MEMORIAL DAY

          Today is the second of the two solemn days of memory and mourning that Israel has this time of year. The first was Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Rememberance Day and this is the second one, the one that remembers, honors and mourns those soldiers who were killed defending the Land of Israel, over 23,000 of them and 57 alone from last Memorial Day. On this day Israel also honors those of its citizens and visitors who were killed by terrorists - stabbed, shot, burned, slammed by rocks, blown up - in their cars, buses, homes and streets, and even in foreign lands simply because they were Jews.
     This is a day marked by stories of the dead, songs of appropriate content and in the late afternoon an ever growing anticipation of the oncoming Yom Haatzmaut, Israel's Independence Day. On the first day all is shut, the streets are quiet, and indoors the tears are flowing. Cemeteries are visited, flowers are laid at the grave site and all shops and restaurants are closed. Then suddenly in a matter of hours the mood changes and we celebrate that for which people have died and are still dying - our homeland, our own land once again, the land of our forefathers and the home for our eternal future.
     Today Israel is under siege with the everpresent anti Semitism growing and rearing its ugly head once more in the open. Ukrainian Jews are contemplating having to leave their country, French Jews, Swedish Jews, and others are purchasing homes and apartments in Israel. Today we have an Israel and never again will there be another Shoah to be commemorated but there will always, unfortunately be a day of mourning for the ever present and ever growing list of sacrifices made in the name of defense and survival of the homeland.
     So today and tomorrow keep these thoughts in mind and remember them when you read the papers and hear of more sacrificial lambs. Netzach Yisroel Lo Yishaker - the eternal life , the eternal guardian of the nation of Israelites does not lie  and we will be here forever, strong and determined, proud of our heritage and our contributions to mankind.

BROKEN REELS IN THE VILLAGE

     Things are heating up in the village and causing some panic in Davidisraelland. He has begun to write his own comments and seems to have encouraged his minions to step up to the plate and the results are broken reels.
    Lanny Howe has gone off the deep end, ranting and raving about a blacksmith David Israel and on and on. Really, Lanny? Is that the best you can do? Such hyperbole. Such nonsense, and all because the lawsuit is moving into high gear. Even the captive delegates sat quietly and listened rather than engaging in their usual boos and heckling. David Israel's claque was quiet for there was no denying the rational yet impassioned presentation given by Olga.
     David Israel himself has also been ranting and raving about snake oil, demanding that no one reach into their pockets, etc. And who died and appointed him named dictator of the Village!!!!   
     The truth of the matter, and it is all right before our eyes every single day, is that the roads are crumbling and cracking and the perimeter walk is almost at the point of being impassable at some points for some of our residents. And we got all this for the bargain price of five million dollars plus! Such a bargain!!
    And finally, the cream and cherry on top, we have not so amazing Grace spouting the party line how filing a claim and getting a win in court will put us in insurance limbo with no one wishing to insure us ever again. Get real. This is the insurance business and that is why one has insurance, for a needed time, be it a house flooding, a car accident, a fall, or faulty administration in the Village.
 The only one chiming in about free money is David Israel and Co.. Yes, perhaps the premium might go up, but then again, it might, most probably go up anyway. Anyone here ever have their same policy get lowered? If the job had been done the right way the first time we would not even be in the position of filing a lawsuit so put that in your pipe and smoke it, David Israel.
     If insurance companies cancelled or raised to catastrophic rates all those who filed a claim they would be out of business and they obviously are not and are quite healthy in their profits so cut the crap already, minions.
     It is a shame that it has come to this, but David Israel who now talks about cooperation is still the same David Israel who threw opponents off committees and now simply will not let an oppositional voice be heard in the committee rooms of UCO and the Clubhouse. Think about this and what it means to our future.

MORE WASTING OF MONEY. DOES IT NEVER END?

     Here we are, looking for money to fix the streets and walkways of our Village and we have found yet another way to waste money. If one reads the Initiative of the Operations Committee, one will see that between the tennis courts and the pickle ball courts and related work, WPRF has proposed spending close to $60,000 on that project. Is there no other way to do this? Do we really need to spend that much money on shifting courts and building others? Why are we sitting on all those second bank of wasted shuffleboard courts that never get used, not the first bank which is used by many and by an active league.
     Why do we have our priorities confused here? We are always being threatened that we will have fewer shows (we already do), warned that we had better buy more tickets or else consequences will ensue. Well, how about polling the residents for shows they might like to see? I just filled out a whole form for the Broadway program for Fort Lauderdale as to my preferences for 2015 - 2016, so why can't we do something similar? Make sure enough people will attend a performance before booking. Test the waters for preferences.
Approach the large groups of people living here who do not really show up much at the shows. Ask them why. Ask them if there is anything we can do to include them, to draw them out to come to the shows.
     The problem is that an oligarchy of incompetents and self congratulating pols has developed here in the Village. Check the sign in sheet for committee members and for guests. With a few exceptions, over and over it is the same names. People who used to attend as guests religiously are now dropping out because what is the use. There is no room in this administrative dictatorship for any opinion other than David Israel and henchmen. Opponents, those whose opinions differ are stonewalled, called names.
     Know that David Israel is now scared of this lawsuit. Else why the hard sell not to take part? Why the extension asked for by his lawyers. he is scared because his incompetence and his culpability in this mess will be exposed, the violation of UCO bylaws, the financial misuse and manipulation of funds without delegate permission or knowledge and on and on.
     People, fellow residents, we need to think seriously about our future. We need to think about what is truly important - what is needed, not just wanted. Those are two different categories and we need to think how much we are to blame by allowing this type of incompetence to remain in office, stonewalling requests for information, stonewalling requests to be on committees even as volunteers are being pleaded for. This is America and freedom of thought and speech is an inalienable right, yes, even here in a Village with a president named David Israel.

LIARS, INCOMPETENTS AND DISHONESTY

     "The more things change, the more things remain the same."
     David Israel has opened up his big guns as he seems to begin an all out war on the financial safety and well being of the Village. He has accused the plaintiffs in the lawsuit of all sorts of dastardly motives, when the truth is that they are trying to get the money for the repaving that we will so desperately need. He tries to pawn off huge gaps in the walkways as mere and unimportant cracks, passes off flooding that occurs to the point that people cannot get out of their homes without boots as mere puddles. Come and see the Waltham and Stratford areas after a heavy downpour. Come and see the "puddles" in the Andover area, "puddles" that were never there before the repaving. David Israel, where the hell do you propose to get the necessary funds for these corrections such as you are planning to do in a small section of the walkway by Dover for $25, 000? Multiply that by all the areas that need immediate work and where, where, where?!!! Or perhaps you should leave it alone and then deal with the many lawsuits as people trip and fall, bikes are upended and safety is compromised for the many who skate, powerwalk, etc every day on the perimeter walkway. Would they then be "suing themselves?!
     Part II of the waste of our money - the new RFP for WIFI. Once again some hard questions were asked about the installation and here is David Israel's answer -
"I believe these issues raised after the vendor selection is made, are matters to be determined in contract negotiation."

Again, RFP response from a company to be determined without questions being posed. Another half assed project.
All the pictures from The Reporter will not change the facts.

Daily post....

    So good morning everyone. Thank you to those who have commented, either on line or to me personally. I appreciate your input. that is, all except for one pathetic excuse for a human being who thinks that it is okay to call people names and use nasty terms to refer to others. Well, this thing will no longer be allowed to comment here as I have warned him several times and the rules are clear. I do not know why it is so hard for people to not be nasty. Is it all they have in life? Well, please go take a long walk off a short pier and bother the little fishies, not us humans over here!
     So Russia is continuing its takeover of the Ukraine and sometimes I wonder if there is a side to take here, what with both sides in the fight using anti Semitism as it suits them and the whole issue not really being clear. Does the Ukraine have the right to determine its own destiny - eminently YES, and Russia does not have the right to come in and take over a la old times. This is not Hungary in 1956 but putting in Russian troops disguised as "activists" is as wrong as sending in tanks. But then again, how can we expect people with such different backgrounds, be it in politics, religion, or genealogy to get along, especially as they are all armed,  when we here in the Village cannot seem to do that.
     So here I sit, more than a week later after filing apps for committees waiting, waiting, waiting..... for answers that will never come and even should they come, they will be in the negative. Our esteemed great leader has not the courage and honesty of soul to respond in the proper manner nor has he any excuse to deny me a seat on a committee. How else can he then rant and rave that I have not been on a committee if he lets me on! One flew over the cuckoo's nest, yes?
     From now on, all comments will have to be reviewed before they are published, at least until we get rid of that weasel Fred Sanford or he goes off to bother someone else and finds that no audience for his nastiness will prove to be a boring pursuit and he will find another. Maybe one day he will even find a way to become honest and courageous and say who he is. I am not holding my breath and this is the last time you will be spoken about on this blog. Go be nasty on David Israel's blog.