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THE GOOD AND THE SAD

Three years have passed since my mom went to join my dad and team up on G-d and I and my siblings have been orphans. Even at an advanced age that word means something. It is the loss of the supporting structure of one's life. It is the loss of the hugs and kisses, the 100% on your side encouragement and the forever fact of being someone's baby.
For more years than I care to remember I have been missing the advice of my father. the sharing of his letters, of our mutual beliefs... and for three years I have missed the love of a mother, the incomparable love that can only be understood by another child. It is the fact that no matter the time of day or the content of that "important" phone call to share in pride and joy or loss and troubles - that phone call is always welcome. How many times have I reached for that phone and then pull my hand slowly away, tears at the ready, the gaping hole just as big as the day it happened.
I love you, Mommy, my Nellie, the person who looks out at me from the mirror. I value all that you did for me, all that you taught me and I hope that I honor your memory. Please keep a watch on all of us, on the kids, don't bother Pop too much and G-d has many troubles, so stick to the important issues. Love you and miss you beyond words.
I will not be posting Friday and Saturday due to the holiday. See you sometime on Sunday

V A C A T I O N

     Vacationing is hard work. Especially for Passover. Visiting with friends in a new community, we heard their stories of the food that went missing and the refrigerators and freezers that became as valuable as  gold. And all the cream cheese et al that they bought in case the food never arrived! Winn Dixie came to the rescue and brought in a ton of stuff and thanks to them for that. Wish they would do that in West Palm.
     When one finally gets to sit down on a vacation, one has the time to think, to muse about life. What is truly important and what is not. So, sorry, all you Nasties out there, as your rating of importance puts you way down on the list.
     First comes the importance and the primary place of family. To watch the grandchildren and see how they have grown into wonderful young adults and teens and to laugh at the antics of he younger ones - it does not get any better than that. To know that a choice of vacations during the year was offered and that they chose to visit grandparents is amazing, a validation of love. Nothing better than that other than a super hug and kiss from them. They make plans for special times for Face Time or Skype wanting to share the test grades, questions about homework, proofreading a paper or essay they have written, discuss a possible career choice - and we know that we are a vital part of their lives.
     And  just looking at them makes us even more concerned over the path of the country and where we are going now and in the near future. Where are the leaders we need, desperately. The words of Bonnie Tyler ring out in my head. "I need a hero" she sang in her raspy voice and so we should all sing. Who amongst our leaders has the moral strength to do what is necessary, has the courage of one's convictions and one who can speak for and to the entire country and work on the divisions plaguing us. I'm a lookin' but not a findin'.
     I look at Israel and at the situation of Jews all over the world and think "will it never end?" Why, time and again do we have to have airlift rescues of Jews from lands where they are persecuted and take them to safety in Israel. Why, time and time again, do we have waves of Jews from supposedly civilized lands, coming over to Israel or here, the USA, because they are clearly in danger in their original land. And what do we do with the rising incidents of anti Semitism, the physical violence that is going along with it, right here on our campuses or in our streets.
"Esaw ainy el hahorim. Ma-ayin yavoh ezri." I lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence will come my help? Ezri may-im Hashem, oseh shamayin v'eretz." Help will come from G-d, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.
     So many turn to religion in this time of stress and unrest and that is okay - as long as the religion does not demand violence and hatred, persecution of others, destruction of their temples or holy places. I cringe at what is going on at the Temple Mount in Israel. From time immemorial it has been a place of holy events for the Jews, from the sacrifice of Isaac all the way to the two Temples, Batei Hamikdash. I have been up there, went there in 1969 and had to be careful where I went to make sure I stayed out of the footprint of the Holy of Holies, the place where the High Priest would go on Yom Kippur to pray and beg for His people. It was an emotional experience. Yet now the Wakf, the Moslem group, wishes to deny all Jews any and all entry to the Mount and if they get there, no praying by a Jew up there. Really? My heart breaks at that prohibition. It is wrong, so very wrong and I wonder why it is that we cannot all pray together, one here, one there, whatever, for is not prayer the first step towards peace?
     I cringe at the "Jews" who see themselves as Jews only when they have something rotten to say about fellow Jews or the land of Israel. I wonder why the extremists on both sides forget that we are all Jews together and the outside does not make a distinction when push comes to shove. I wonder how J Street claims it is pro Israel when it has never met an action of Israel that it approves of!! I wonder at the kids on campus who have never lived in a time when there was no State of Israel and do not understand the implication of that fact. I just wonder at all the hate that abounds in the world.
     And then I remember the circle of friends and family that surround me. I remember my faith in a G-d who will not desert us in a time of need, at least not forever.
     And so goes the thinking during vacation. Now to think of lunch and time to get moving to make a date we have to swim with the dolphins.   OY!!!! .

FUN FUN FUN

      Lordy, I am tired, bone tired, but would not trade yesterday for the world. Taking the day off to recuperate though. Thinking DVD, book and maybe another movie. No parks, no shopping.
     Yesterday was a beautiful day in all ways. The weather was perfect, if a tad hot, but lots of water did the trick. The crowds at Universal are a fraction of those at Disney so one did not have to weave around and through and I even got some photos with some favorite Seuss characters and some superheroes - and a villain too! Got drenched on a ride and screamed my lungs out and have discovered that I ain't what I used to be, even though the kids were kind of muttering "I think I can, I think I can" in a form of encouragement!
     What was really beautiful about the day was the lack of violence though let me tell you, there were representatives of every ethnic, racial and religious group there. Scads of little kids and bigger ones too but no threats or looks or pushing or anything but smiles and patience. So why can we not have this all day every day all over.
     Perhaps some of the violence was transferred elsewhere. I played my favorite game of Whac-A-Mole and won a monkey in a banana stuffed animal for one granddaughter and later had to win a minion for the other - fair is fair - and saves lots of aggravation! As I slammed away at the moles I simply kept in my head certain names - no names given - and what a cathartic release! Maybe we should petition Eva to get a couple of these games in the Clubhouse!
     Some people are very touchy though, oh so sensitive. Lanny and David did not like it one bit when I called them on ghostwriting and whoo, some response they wrote. If it is still up, you can read it and the comments and my response is here on my blog. Doubt my comment there will remain for long. Anyhoo, David tried to use a big word to show his erudition but it backfired. See, I knew it and Lanny had to look it up - not  big deal as it is a technical term not very much used in real everyday life, but David is and always has been disconnected from real life so there ya go.
     So let's ramble on in a "random" manner. The world and the Village again. Over half the electorate feel voting is rigged   and gee, the machines are used all over. So when we claim here that despite the machines the voting can still be rigged or tampered with, guess we are not nuts, huh David? There has to be a tamperproof method, from start to finish. Guess it would be harder on the outside, but here, NO! Just get a firm to do this from start to finish, from registration to counting and have that counting watched by members of opposing sides or candidates. Simple, clean, and neat.  And as for other votes - electronic is the way to go now and stop those stupid ballots being waved in the air and fake counts being called. Even better, one vote per resident owner and thus the entire electorate has a chance at voicing an opinion  via the voting. Pipe dreams? Never say never - we at least got in the machines due to making a lot of noise about the prior manner of voting and counting.
     Ramble on more? There are so many things right in the Village and living here. I love it, love my friends, love my life here. But, that does not mean that there are not things that need fixing, from the Rag to WPRF to our system of administration to our accounting and planning to the ridiculous and restrictive rules that seem to be growing daily and just add your issues to the list. There are many, yes, but there are many reasons to stand firm and fight for them, even though Gracie always so graciously invites me to move out. Sorry, kiddo, staying until the good Lord tells me otherwise.
     Hearing stirrings from all around so gotta go but will talk more tomorrow. Have fun, break a smile, see the humor in life and the fun and excitement. It is all there - just reach out, take a step, and hey, perhaps ramble around a bit in a random manner and you might have a great day!
     PS: In case you ae wondering why I keep using the word random so much today, it is a simple little joke, designed to show how ridiculous it is for David to use a word that means random and used in technical discussions more than elsewhere and then think he can stump me with it. Sorry, David. Failed again.

RESPONSE

     Ooooh, seems we have hit a nerve, Lanny. David cannot string together anything more than a sentence or two and we have seen that in many of his own postings and it is known that there is a ghostwriter, so much so and so frequently, that Joy Vestal accused me of having one because she could "tell" the difference between my writing and that of the "ghostwriter". Loved that one!
     As far as boasting, note that I said at least of those who have the nerve to basically put it out there. I have even written for the Rag, a Holocaust article, which moved people to tears, and which Joy tried to pull at the last minute because of the author! I  do not brag nor do I lie. I certainly am not one of the best mathematicians in the Village nor the chemist or scientist. But I am what I am and knowing one's strong points as well as weak points is a good thing, an honest thing, and would that it were more commonplace amongst some people. I love writing, have been encouraged to write books, both fiction and non fiction, but I must say that non fiction is a stronger draw than fiction, though I have written about six  to ten plays. That does not mean you have to like my writing - your choice - but I know what I know and so do you. so no tutoring for you. And do not understand your title.
     By the way, Stew Richland is a most gifted writer, particularly in presenting factual material, making it clear to all and giving all the facts - both sides of an issue - what a quaint idea! There are many other excellent writers here so anytime you need a recommendation, just email. And by the way - if you really knew me then you would know I do not lie. Period. Shame on you.

BACK TO THE FUTURE? AGAIN?

     Oy, yoi, yoi, yoi, yoi! Again? Does the man have nothing better to do than sit and plot how to keep himself in office until the day he is carried out? Does he have nothing else in his life or is that  back office the only place he feels safe, where he can hide from the big, bad powerful and scary world out there? You know, there are doctors that deal with issues like that. Just sayin', but in any case, I guess we should be proud, all of us living here in CVWPB. Why? Well, here we are, a pretty plain retirement community, an economic bargain in many cases, and yet we aspire to rival the world. We have our own Papa Doc or Baby Doc or Floridian Peron or take your choice of any of the tinpot dictators of Asia, Africa and South and Central South America. But in doing so, also please remember that these same dictators remain in power via trickery, chicanery, threats and even that is not enough as they are falling out of favor as their countries collapse around them, as people get tired of crazy rules, impositions on them and their daily lives and finally rebel and hopefully get a new and better government.
     What set this off? Go check the Rag and see the "astute" and "erudite" article by David (written by his ghostwriter, Lanny) re term limits. The man just got back in for another term and already he is worried about two years down the line? Or is he perhaps worried about his obedient underlings, those who carry out his orders so faithfully and completely? Who knows and even more, who cares, at this point? Yes, we know that the best way to get one out of office in this place is now to let nature take its course, clean the office and perhaps then get something good going here once again.
     The hypocrisy and doublespeak of his article just calls out for addressing. The same people, THE VERY SAME PEOPLE, who said that whomever desires no term limits is one who will turn into an autocrat - I kid you not, this is what they said, Ed Black and David Israel when they ran for office back in 2008, - these very same people have now turned into the autocrats they seemingly were so opposed to, but I guess when the shoe is on the other foot, the mouth speaks with the forked tongue and out of the other side and here we are today.
     David Israel has the nerve to call those who back term limits lazy people. Yup. New one on me too! Apparently they are lazy because they do not want to make a choice at the polls. What? What, again? Choices always have to be made, no matter term limits or not so what the hell? In fact, in your benighted thinking you fail to realize that having fresh faces, new names, allows for MORE freedom of thinking, more people choosing between new people, evaluating them, working their brains,  so lazy? Need that tutoring lesson again, Lanny and David? Free for you, guys. This is more of the convoluted "reasoning" if we can call it that that passes for thinking in this down the rabbit hole land of theirs.
      What is even better is that we next have that paragon of free choice, Joy Vestal, speak up about how people have to give up the reins of power in the associations. Uh huh. I swear, it is in the Rag in her little piece. Goose and gander again? What is with these people? This same person who violates public trust in that she controls the reins as a VP and as co editor, really the controlling editor of the Rag, now says to others to give it up! Makes one's head spin, does it not. Let us go one better. The Rag is now a censored piece of trash, a waste of trees as they publish a piece here or there with no meat, the better to surround all  they have and boast of.  Our own Pennysaver!! Aren't we proud!!! And yet, two times in the paper they beg for volunteers, for writers, copy editors, etc. So Joy, I volunteer. I am one of the best writers in the Village, at least one with the guts to lay it all out and tell the truth. Are you ready to have me write a column, or a feature article? Uh huh, thought so. You are all a bunch of mealy mouthed cowards so is it any wonder that  many of us here in the Village, a growing group, all we have is contempt for you and the whole gang of you, in fact?
     Point of information. Whether a dictator had death squads, horseback posses, Toyota truck riding terrorists, gangs of hooligans or whatever enforcement looked like - they all fall. Look at South America and see what is happening there. Open your eyes. Look. Think. Evaluate. Re - evaluate! Are you planning on having motorized scooter gangs here, with canes aswinging? Are you planning on living forever? And what do you think your obit will say? Will it be one of honor and credit as one for Phil Shapkin, or will it be otherwise? Have you guys no shame and no brains? Time conquers all and it is just sad that while our own chazirs are rooting around for more power, creating more damage as they do so, snuffling for truffles and treats as the infrastructure of the Village deteriorates, ignoring the needs of the people as they satisfy their own - even as they follow the mantra of "all animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others (the pigs of Animal Farm) - they forget that dictators fall, the pigs of Animal Farm were defeated and naïve or not, I still believe that truth will win in the end and I am patient, oh yes I am.
     So......back to the future? Sequel movie stories? Call it what you wish, but truth will out and everyone is not stupid as you make them out to be. Everyone is not lazy if they disagree with you. A little respect for those with differing opinions and remember - the CV Messenger does tell the truth so.... well, you know how it goes.
     A little piece of inspiration for those who maintain the fight, who carry the colors.
  “Though an army besiege me my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.” (Psalm 27:3
Straight from the Lord and King David.
    
     Have a good day. I will, me and the kids and Harry Potter and the water rides. Whoosh!
    

A CONTRAST

     The world is an amazing place of contrasts, good and bad. It is filled with the words that reconcile, of truth and friendship, or at least lack of hate, and also filled with words of lies and falsehoods, of hate and threats and sheer gall. It seems that these words are presented so strongly and with such conviction, that people even begin to believe the lies they have oft been told. It worked with Hitler. It worked with Nero. It worked with Il Duce, it worked in CVWPB and it appears to be working with BDS and other hate filled purveyors of all that is untruth. And unfortunately it also works here to an extent with the unthinking, of which, thank G-d, there are fewer and fewer and more and more of those people who let their eyes and ears see and hear the truth.
     It upsets me that once again I have to write such a post, especially on the days of the holiday. Is it not time that we took a trip away from lies and hate, from contempt of people expressed in those lies, those blatant lies.
     Today  is a day of lots of family fun. The stricter days of the first two days of Passover are over, all are stuffed, and ready to party. No, not food, as we all overate what with the meals and the grazing in between and the visiting other people who naturally had to pull out more food to welcome their guests and soon we are all rolling thru the streets, so, today is a day of action. Even those who did not stay here the first days of the holiday will now converge on Orlando and here they come, Mickey! Magic Kingdom will be jammed! And all will have the knapsacks and the carriages filled with the kosher for Pesach food, zillions of bottles of water as it is hot here and only going to get worse ,  and the schedules and routes of fun must be strictly adhered to! Gerry and I? Kids are off to Sea World, less crowded and with its waterpark right there, and we are off to a quiet spot - the movies. Aaahhhhhh!
     And the world? Oooff! Not such good news, and in many cases just plain weird. Here we have a campaign for president and two rivals are planning to cooperate to eliminate another rival, but plan to compete against each other in other states as if there never had been any cooperation. A backer of conservative politicians and policies says he could see himself supporting Clinton! UCLA administrators call the reaction of protest against BDS and hate filled posers and actions, a campaign of hate as they do not like the posters which show the link between BDS and Hamas, between the leaders of SJP and hate mongering groups. Suddenly the truth becomes lies and the lies truth. Have we all gone down that hole to Alice in Wonderland world?
     The world itself is confused. Whom to support? Is the enemy of my enemy my friend or is he also my enemy as well? If I work with a hostile country in one area does that mean I look away from that which will harm me elsewhere? There appears to be no clear black and white demarcation, no clear route to follow. 
      And it is no different here in the Village. Last nite I opened an IFI and found a welcome to la la land posting. In it we were told that the waterways are improving. Yup. And look how lucky we were. All those "herrings" that died and floated around and stank to the high heavens were just a part of the circle of life as the cleaners came in for free - the birds of the air. Can almost hear the kumbayas being hummed. We received a circular reasoning exposition of the contents of our water. Yes, it has too much nitrogen and yes, the algae are happy little campers with all that nitrogen, and yes, that means less oxygen for the waters and as such, too bad for the little fishies that move around and perhaps if they were more slug-a-beds they would not die from the poor oxygen content, but in any case, the algae is blooming, the fish are dying, the nitrogen grows apace and the oxygen goes the other way, but our waterways are improving. HUH??? Anyone see that Emperor and his clothes running around the Village? Oh, is that him in the lake? Hope the alligator does not catch him, you know the one that ostensibly came to visit because he loved our oh so fresh waters?! C'mon, maybe a few of us fell off the turnip truck but not the rest of us. In fact here is an opinion from the rest of us. When a certain message must be gotten out to the people, the thought is to place it in the CV Messenger as it has a very large readership! Yup! Hand to G-d! Don't ya just love it!
     In any case, since we are told that repaving - again - will be taking place  this week, I am so looking forward  to seeing the nearby bus stop in all its glory and safe paving! In the meanwhile - time to rouse the troops and get ready for the day. Movies, here we come and Mickey, gird your loins for the onslaught! Fun is the order of the day - that and matza sandwiches and aluminum wrapped matza brie and fish and even cold omelets. The ingenuity amazes me. And do not forget the chocolate, never the chocolate! Talk to all of you tomorrow. Thinking of visiting Harry Potter tomorrow and I even have Hermione's magic wand to take along with me. The magic never stops, does it? Especially when the kids will all be with us and my kids have a day off. (Sigh) - I am already tired! Oh, well, perseverance in a time of great demands is a virtue, is it not?

THE TRANSFORMATION

     It truly began on Wednesday, the week before having been sporadic. But on Wednesday, and growing by leaps and bounds on Thursday, the transformation began. The cars, mainly vans, packed to the gills with people and packages, rolled into the spaces by the garages, and suddenly the quiet and empty streets began to resound with the cheerful and harried sounds of voices, of mothers calling the kids back from the streets, of fathers grunting with the weight of suitcases and calling to the sons to help.
     Soon the cars were empty and they rolled out again. During their absence one noticed people, a single person or two, standing by homes, shading their eyes as they stood waiting, watching - but for what? We too joined that anxious waiting and made several calls over the course of the day and finally, it came, to us and the others. A cavalcade of trucks from the renal place and out came a parade of refrigerators, cribs, carriages and all sorts of equipment necessary for the following week and then the work began in earnest. The little ones played while the adults worked to squoosh all into their fridges, making Solomonic decisions on what had to be frozen or refrigerated and what could wait a day or two. 
     And the cars returned from whence they had gone and out came......more bags from Publix. The shelves were certainly cleared by the looks of things and yet more calls to help and even the little ones pitched in carrying the box of tissues or the package of napkins. And what was even more interesting were the empty spaces filled with crowds of people, standing and waiting and then....along comes a refrigerated large truck and guess what? Here was the food from Brooklyn, ordered and driven down to Florida for the holidays. Even food gets a break!
     Several articles of late have criticized this emigration, this transformation of a neighborhood as something to be regretted. Yes and no. It was nice when families all lived within blocks of each other and could share the holidays. It was nice to be able to walk to Bubby and Zaidy (grandparents), but today is different. Families are scattered, often in different states. Both parents are working and many times more than one job or a job with many responsibilities and one cannot take off to prepare for this demanding holiday.
     What to do? Get together elsewhere and combine many things into one. Observe a holiday and in a meaningful manner. Share it with the family, the building block of Jewish culture and ethos for generations. Over buy, as usual, and laugh about it, and then make the calls to the local source for donations of food to pantries or the needy. And then enjoy the in between days of the holiday with trips to Disney, to Universal. Wave the wand along with Harry Potter and scream along with the Seven Dwarfs. Play miniature golf, go to a movie - do not forget the nosh - go to LEGOLAND and just have a great fun time. Come home exhausted and plan the next day.
     The transformation is amazing to watch as a quiet neighborhood of vacation homes turns into a vital area of kids, of shouts, of laughter and I guess even a few tears. It is Passover in Orlando, an ancient and meaningful holiday with a modern and magical touch. What could be bad about that?
     So enjoy the holiday and a Happy Passover to all.   Chag Sameach to all.
     By the way, I will try to post another piece today, but if not, please use the next two days to review posts you have not yet had the chance to read and I will return on Monday morning.

WORDS YET AGAIN

     Before I write a  posting today and then run due to holiday demands, let me just recommend Stew Richland's erudite article on the campaign. Check it out on Phyllis's blog.
     I continue to be amazed at the power of words to present both truth and lies, horror and hope. A mass murderer dies, as he should, paying for his crime of terror in blowing up a bus with the only stated goal of murder and mayhem. Yet this same murderer is given the name 'martyr', a word which once meant a person who died in the name of something good, something holy or beneficial to mankind, for a positive reason, or killed by others in the name of evil. Today this term is applied to killers, to despicable human beings who do not even deserve that term of human.
     And yet, the power of words continues to be twisted and people just let it ride. A Harvard law student who called an MK (Israel Parliament) "smelly' claims now that he did not KNOW that it was an anti Semitic canard???!!! Really? Are we to believe those words? How could he believe that we would believe such a transparent lie and even were it somehow true, really, that is how a supposedly bright person addresses a pertinent question in a public gathering to a distinguished visitor from another country? Words!!
     Today we receive a warning from the head of security at NATO warning us that ISIS is planning a nuclear attack on Europe using either dirty material or material it obtained, including hundreds of rockets from Iran, hacking a self drive car or even putting bombs of nuclear or biological complications within the body of a human, to form a living bomb whose only purpose is to bring mass death to perhaps millions of others. And yet, the words go on, with people using words uselessly or to promote more hate and war. Would that our words helped bring us together.
     Words of hate spew out from a new head of the National Student Union in England, words which emit from the mouth of a black Muslim woman who should know better. She should remember that people of color, black people in Darfur, in Somalia, in Sudan are chased and slaughtered, kidnapped, abused, brutalized by Arab Moslem people of these countries. Boko Haram is no friend to black people of Africa yet this woman can only find words to disparage Israel and then make that usual canard of a statement that to be anti Israel is not to be anti Jewish. Sorry. Doesn't fly. Just does not.
     Words that pour forth from the mouths of the presidential candidates this year have also been demoralizing and even disgusting in many cases. One candidate has evidently been taken to the woodshed by his advisers as his mouth is somewhat quieter but is this the caliber of our candidates? These are what we present to the world as our potential leaders, one who will lead us into and hopefully out of, perilous times? Whoosh! There goes any sense of truth and reality. Down the drain.
     Personally, this affliction of misuse of words infects all levels of government and supposed leaders. For those of you who did not quite catch it, David Israel has removed from his blog all the nasty and old comments that were under his Recent Comments section on his site, the only purpose of which was to incite. The category is still there, but empty as of the moment. Let us keep watch to see what happens next. Hopefully nothing and it will lie fallow - or even be removed totally as it serves no purpose. Might be a nice sign of extension of an olive branch? Hmmm?
     Words accompanied by actions of violence and threats are the worst category. These words are the ones that accompany marchers who threaten violence, who spew forth obscene words of hate, demands that are impossible to meet and in truth, would be disastrous were they actually met. But words are also words of conciliation, that bring hope as former enemies begin to see new points of agreement, similar needs and concerns and it is these words that will finally bring hope to the world. Here in the USA I believe the only hope we have amongst the candidates is Hillary Clinton. I believe she is the only candidate that has the strength to meet the challenges, the strength to stand up to bullies and terrorism. Is she perfect? Nope, but perfection is found in the graveyards and the World To Come, not here on earth. In any case, ain't it about time that we had a woman at the helm? It is 2016, not 1818. Can we not speak words of equality and mean them!! It's not as if the men have done any great job up till now, have they? Think about that!!

WORDS !! WORD!!!!

     Yesterday I wrote of the power of words, the effect they might have on others and even oneself. Words have cutting edges and the scars and wounds they inflict on another can be even more long lasting than the wound of a stick or a stone. Words can poison generations. Words can trap a person into a mire of one's own making. Words, once out, are out - especially in today's world where all is there to be found. This is something the kids of today need to internalize as they put themselves out there and then suddenly find out as they apply for admission to a school or for a job, that their words have followed them, damning them as much as they do.
     I have uttered words that I might have come to regret. I have written strong and sharp words but continue to believe that these words were earned by the one or the idea at which they were aimed. I have been the target of nasty words but luckily for me, for the most part I could care less about the person who uttered these words, who wrote them and they simply wash off.
     But I continue to wonder in a sad way at the person who cannot rid himself or herself of the nastiness of words directed at a continuing target or targets. For example, poor limited Gracie cannot seem to rid herself of the repetitive command? advice? order? which she incessantly gives me, unsolicited at that - to move and go somewhere else. She evidently does not understand the concept of free speech and the value of words of dissent in the progress of mankind in both little and large steps. But take it from whence it comes.....
     However, what is the problem with David Israel and his minions. I understand that some people are just nasty, cannot help themselves and perhaps need a daily dose of cruelty and hurtfulness towards others but still. Peter Cruise never has anything nice to say about an opponent of David's, his lord and master, and even takes the opportunity at disconnected times to make nasty statements. When? An example?When the forms for opting out of the sprinklers were posted on line, why was there a comment about opponents made in his typical nasty way? Why? Because this man is stuck in a rut, a bad one at that, so he continues in a never ending circle of nasty and inane comments.
     And what about the blogmeister? Here he is supposed to be the "leader" of the Village UCO, there for all, and yet....even as he puts on a notice about CPR, something that could save lives, he negates it all with a feature on his blog that I just noticed. I have no idea how long it has been there, but the title is a misnomer. It states 'recent comments' yet the comments he posts, all vicious and mean ones, meant to hurt someone or something, are far from recent and indeed are months old. So the purpose is exactly what? All I can figure is that the purpose is meant to keep alive a hatred, keep alive a partisan split, keep up a lie, keep up something which will only keep harming the Village as he deems his opponents to be "other" than he and his. Smacks, no, stinks, of a vicious historical prejudice, does it not?!
     What are the purposes of those words - hate, inimical feelings and goals, sheer nastiness and no positive purpose at all. I wish I did not have to use the words I have typed above as there are far more important topics and people to discuss, but someone must point out this crater in their souls. Kudos to Gary who took down a vicious comment on his blog made by a reader. But what does David do? He puts up ancient comments that add fuel to the fire and I point out, David, that your old comments are out there as well and we have resurrected your hypocritical ones about term limits and other issues. Goose and gander. Truth is truth.
     Words out in the real world are doing their thing as well. A Harvard law student deems it appropriate to ask Tzipi Livni, a member of the Israeli Knesset, why she is "smelly". The place was stunned and he asked it again with embellishments. Now one must remember that thru the centuries it was deemed that Jews are "other" and can be known not only by their features of hooked noses, even horns on heads, by hunched posture, but also by their smell. This is what we have come to now? This is the level to which we have sunk and allowed our young to speak? 
     A debate at Morehouse University, the alma mater of The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, hosted the "US National Championships of the Debating Association. The topic chosen:
      “This House Believes That Palestinian Violence Against Israeli Civilians Is Justified”
     Yes, your eyes read it correctly. At the alma mater of a man who supported Israel, who stated that “when people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism.” This was the topic that was chosen and one had to close one's mouth and not protest, advocate murder of Jews and if not, well, they were penalized, thrown out, forfeited and to their credit about 30 participants refused on their own. Some broke down in tears at the topic. But, but, how does it get to the point where such vicious statements are made, when two openly pro-Palestinian people are chosen to choose a topic - and what were they even doing on the committee?
     To make matters worse, this debate was staged with funds from various people and/or organizations, the EU and our own State Department. You read it correctly. Now the State Department has been notoriously known as being anti-Semitic, anti - Israel, for the longest time but still - has it reached this open display of blatant prejudice and recommendation for murder? Are we back to the future? Again? Are we Jews to start building hiding places, find non Jews who will hide us? Should we maybe all just kill ourselves and save the world and its haters the bother? You tell me. YOU speak up. YOU pay attention to what is going on. And Lord Almighty, You pay attention too.
          Words are sharp. Words can cut. And words can kill. We have seen that. We know that. Why must we do this again?

PS: Attention Gracie: "Why did you ever stop teaching in our schools? Our kids today are missing out on the extraordinary opportunity to learn from you." (just a sample of true postings)
     ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION
PLEASE NOTE THAT DAVID ISRAEL HAS REMOVED THE SECTION ENTITLED RECENT COMMENTS. PERHAPS HE FINALLY REALIZED HE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIMSELF FOR THEM. FIRST STEP IN A LONG ROAD, DAVID?

PATIENCE, YES, BUT HOW LONG?

     "It is the tragedy of the world that no one knows what he doesn't know - and the less a man knows, the more sure he is he knows everything."  (Joyce Cary)
     And I will add, if I may, the fact that the less a person knows, the more stubborn that person is in insisting that he does know everything. The truth is, that when that happens all shuts down, one does not hear the words or meaning or thoughts of an opponent and progress comes to a great big halt! So how long must we be patient? Evidently a real long time.
     As short a time ago as ten years, our waterways were blue, scenic, no odor, filled with fish that remained alive, thank you very much, and turtles, little ones and big ones that lumbered along. Today? Well, one can see the dead fish, cannot see the turtles, perhaps can see an alligator - or so they say - and can watch some seemingly demented fish as they swim in circles and do not move from that spot, usually near a real big gunky green spot.
     We have been promised that these waterways would be worked on. We can ride around the areas, near and a bit further around, and see waterways that are healthy looking, blue enough as they reflect the sky and there are no dead fish floating around. Why is that? Is it because we have that County water coming in? Are we the only ones doing that? And if so, then perhaps we need to do without for it does not seem to have benefitted us at all, and indeed has harmed us what with its ruining the quality and the mineral contents of our waterways. Why, I ask, are we wasting money on more foliage and flowers when there is a rotten heart in the waterways? What difference will it make if we have a stunning mural or not in our indoor pool if people have to hold their noses before reaching it?
     Our monies must be allotted in a needful manner, prioritized by importance and time necessity but that is not happening. We spend thousands on mics for the theater but the waterways are still corroded and as a first impression - not so good. So how long must we be patient? How long must we wait? How long must we get sprayed by gross water as we walk to the Clubhouse or even past a grassy area getting watered? How long? Until it is too late? Or is it already? Why are we not thinking out of the box on this issue if the answers given already DO NOT WORK!!!?
     How long must we wait in between statements that finally were heard from UCO on the fact that post Millennium time was a comin' and a new contract would have to be drawn up - how long must we wait till we see some real work being done. Not lip service that we need to hire an attorney but that we DO hire an attorney, one of note, one of ability, one with knowledge in this area, and not a stooge or a half dead one or an incompetent or inexperienced one, but one that can stand up to the barrage and I am sure already planned pathways and premises and demands of the Levys. Where are the details? Wendy's used to ask, "where is the beef", and we ask where are the plans, the preparations? The beef was found, but our plans and actual steps? In the mists of nowhere - at least to our knowledge.
     How long must we wait till we actually have a totally correct and tamperproof election system, from start to finish, with no hands of a UCO person involved? How long must we wait before we state openly and honestly and do so with a plan in mind and actions ready that the system of counting waving ballots in the air and hoing people can hold their hands up all the while or sitting there and wondering by how much there has been a miscount? The whole world has gone way past that, David sits and yowls ad infinitum about Broadband - but how about a simple electronic board for the voting? Where is the work on that? How long do we have to wait?
     For close to three years we have been waiting by Andover and Wellington to fix a bus stop, to make it even, not with rocks, not with dirt, but by paving it to the level of the road.  I thought we had a final answer on that, was told that it would be "next week" but that has come and gone two weeks ago and......How long? We have been redoing bus stops since the year of the flood but this one seemingly disappears from everyone's to do calendar. Wonder why? Hmmmm
     And might as well add in a question from the outside. How long does it take the world to realize that if a diplomat, if we stretch the point, cannot condemn terrorism and specifically mention the people of the country of Israel, those who are the specific targets of their homegrown terrorists, their children whom they have raised to hate and kill, if that "diplomat" cannot say it right there in the UN, cannot recognize that Israel is the country, the state of the Jewish people, cannot accept that though there are 50 Moslem countries, many of them including that fact in their official name, but this one tiny country bothers him and the rest of his hate filled brethren - then how long must we wait for that moment, for peace, for no more terrorism, for recognition of Israel as that state? Even as the past arose again, with the bombing of a bus, with flames that engulfed another bus and a private vehicle as well, right on the street that thousands use daily - including Gerry and I on our recent trip there as we drove on it twice a day in order to reach my grandson - even as the flames rose and the cries of the wounded, the maimed and the burned pierced the heavens once more - still, no condemnation from the diplomats, no words of condemnation from the UN. Nope. Only words of hate and demands made of Israel. And more tunnels, of course. Using the cement that they cry for, that they "neeeeeed" for the rebuilding of homes. Really? How many people live in the tunnels or is the world again turning a blind eye as what the hey, it is only Jews being killed again, been there done that so what's the biggie here?!
     How long must we all wait? Sometimes it seems forever - here and out there. At least here we stand "only" to lose our homes. Out there? Our lives and those of our friends and families. On May 4 at 7:30 there is a commemoration of Yom Hashoah, The Holocaust, at the Traditions. We attend every year as we mourn those of our families that we never got to know, only thru some remaining pictures and the stories of those who survived, but are now gone, as we mourn the people whose very names we carry and whose memories and traditions we remember and carry on as well. How long? It seems forever, does it not.
     " A word once let out of the cage cannot be whistled back again." (Horace)
     Perhaps these words of hate, these empty promises, must be examined before we spew them out. We have to start somewhere. So start by listening to the words of love and hopes for peace of the husband and daughter of Dafna Meir, killed in her doorway as she fought with a terrorist who had his knife in her neck. Hear their words as they spoke at the UN, as they remember that heroic mother and wife who gave her life to protect her children, not sending them out to kill other children. Words of hate lead to acts of hate. When does it stop?

THE THEATER - IS IT "ONLY" THAT?

     Saw a wonderful production of Dirty Dancing yesterday at the Broward Center for the Arts. We bought their subscription this year and have been very pleased with the shows we have seen, liking most, one not so much, but the office was very cooperative in changing dates if needed. The plays seem to come a year before they come to Kravis, a tad upsetting, as we are so much closer to Kravis than Broward, but in the end it is fine. The theater is smaller than Kravis's Dreyfus and the audiences have been marvelously responsive to the actors. Worth looking into it for next year's calendar.
     Yesterday's production was excellent. The actors were enthusiastic and the audience in a great responsive mood. After the play ended the cast came out into the audience. Nice. But what I found to be interesting to myself were the musings that arose during and after the play. 1963. The cusp of America losing its innocence. The loss of a widely admired young President who had galvanized the nation, especially the young. The new Camelot, the hopes for the future. Only if one looked very carefully and deeply did one see the shadows beneath, but there was a confidence and a pride in being American at that point. Nations listened when we spoke and yes, we were not always sensitive to the needs of others, but since when was that a big part of diplomacy?
     There was a security and a confidence that we all had a future, Cold War, missile crisis and ever growing Vietnam notwithstanding. Boys were still doing their own doo wop and a - capella in the hallways and we all felt safe walking around, going to the beach by ourselves, on the trains, something which was lost by the time I grew up, got married and had kids of my own and it got progressively worse from then on. They met their friends but there was a lot more driving them around than I had. A lot less freedom of movement.
     But look within and find the issues that tore the nation apart in many areas and which still remain, even though they should have been settled long ago. These issues, at least some of them, are to be found within the somewhat silly story of Dirty Dancing, yet maybe not so silly after all. Abortion, yes, that same issue now, that volatile volcano of an issue, was raised within the play and it is quite clear where the playwrights land. There should be a lawful and legal manner by which to arrange an abortion. The days of back alley abortions wherein so many died or lost the chance of future children needed to be gone and the newer laws need to now remain in place.
     The paternalistic attitude of men who feel they must have control over women, over their very bodies, must be remedied. The arrogant attitude of those who believe that their religious beliefs take precedence over that of others, be it another religion or even none, must stop NOW, right in its tracks. Pray for others if one must, but perhaps a better way to avoid the need for abortions might be the education of our children, the acknowledgement that the partners in the creation of this fetus must be equally responsible, not just the one carrying the child and thus more visible to the world and for the care of a child were the fetus to come to term.
     It is time to realize that these people who go to the extremes, who kill in the name of "saving" lives, those who demand that doctors be forced to say certain statements, that force someone to look at a sonogram of the fetus, those who make abortion for whatever reason or cause almost an impossibility for a lower economic woman but for the rich - no problem, just fly away to where it is legal. This must stop.
     It is time for the anti choice people to realize that NO ONE is pro abortion; they are pro choice, the possibility must be there. Nor is it right for one to judge others. No abortion - but shame them? No abortion rights, no chance to choose - but no help either after a full term pregnancy and the needs that arise to raise a child, to feed, clothe, educate and simply care for it even as one tries to earn a living wage. Where is the help there? And if no help is forthcoming - and a few onesies and a crib do not begin to cover the lifetime need at all - then the choice is clear.
      It is time for the anti choice people to realize that to decide to have an abortion, to make that choice, is one of the most difficult choices or decisions one must make. No one dances into a clinic. No one wakes up one day and says, "Oh, let's have an abortion today. I'm bored." No one wants this decision to have to be made. It is a choice that rends the soul, but a choice that often must be that way.
     It is a problem area that could be eased a great deal if contraceptives were more readily available. Why is it that these "religious" companies are okay with covering Viagra or Cealis but not with pills or IUD's for women? Why is it not okay to make these contraceptives available at a clinic so that it does not come down to a choice of abortion or not? And why, oh why, is Planned Parenthood the target of a fake video, spliced together to look horrified at them? They provide much of the needed and necessary help and medical care to women and no, it is not only or even always pregnancy. Those who think that way are a part of the backwards, men driven thinking that that is what makes women tick, the main thing, and all else is just by the side. I myself have filled out Planned Parenthood yearly questionnaires as they track women's records and health through the years, learning what pills did to the body or what problems arise that women will need to take care of in later life or whatever other purpose they need to fulfill and no, most of us at the Planned Parenthood in NYC were not there for abortions but for aid and advice for other issues or simply to undergo a yearly exam. So why shut them down?  Simple ignorance. Simple contempt for women.
     This is the attitude which leads to sexual attacks on campus. To rape within marriage as "religious" leaders say that cannot be. To women in Africa and Asia exhausting themselves thru too many pregnancies, to having too many children and the lack of money and education and food and what else that a child needs to raise himself/herself in life to a better level. To the ugly and painful deaths of women forced to have an abortion in secret, with filthy tools and in filthy rooms, with liars and charlatans wreaking havoc on women.
     There are more issues within the play. There are the issues of that generation breaking the mold, of moving away from the values of their parents, or losing patience with its snail pace advancement. It leads to hordes of the young roaming the country and setting up new centers within cities. It leads to the growth of a drug culture. And in  the end, I am not sure what was accomplished for here we all are, members of that generation, and what has truly been changed or accomplished? Sometimes I feel that whatever was accomplished has either faded into the woodwork or been twisted into something else. The hatreds are still there. The violence against women is still there. The inequalities are still there and now they come with a backlash attached. The condition of our very little orb upon which we live is in even worse condition and so what has changed? You think about it. Depending on the day, one side or the other wins out but, BUT - we must not give in or give up - not in the outside world nor in here.
     This is a time of year that is just meant for reevaluation and thinking. The Christians have
their Easter where their Lord was risen, giving them new hope. The Jews have their Passover, wherein they became the nation, or rather returned to their nationhood after centuries of slavery, regained their freedom and headed off to their Promised Land. There is optimism within this season. Let us make good use of it and do something, even a little bit, to make this world of ours a better place.

JEAN FROM BRIGADOON

     Do you remember Brigadoon? I fell in love with its story and its music long ago when I first saw it on TV. Cannot figure out why it never was restaged for stage or TV screen. A loss indeed. But in any case, I was very pleasantly surprised on Friday when suddenly I heard the song Jean, sung by Oliver, come thru the speakers. I listened and sang along and for the rest of the day could not get the song out of my head. Why? I wondered and thought.
     I think it is because it represents something that appears to be missing from today's screens and music. In Brigadoon the love for Jean was eternal, soft and yet strong, strong enough for the voice and import of it to reach through the air (and this before the Internet!) and wake up a sleeping woman, a sleeping town, and break the precedent of centuries. Love, not lust, can remake the world, it seems and I wonder where this portrayal of love has gone.
     No more do we see the love of Love is a Many Splendored Thing. No more do we see that eternal love portrayed in An Affair to Remember. What we see is a love that expresses itself in a lust so powerful that the couple involved turn into almost animalistic things, consumed with the need to slam the other into a wall or down on a hard kitchen table, stickiness and crumbs included, to grab at their clothing and practically rip it off - both of them - or a lust so overpowering that it causes people to run into a hospital linen closet or a corner of a business and literally, take care of their "love" business. Really now. I would like to know how many people have seen this happen or notice two disheveled people come out of a closet in a hospital.. I bet none.
     Where is the gentleness? Gone, as it appears to be gone from the world. Now, no one is claiming that the past was all flowers and soft kisses. We also had nuclear bomb drills and crime, the Cold War and more wars in Israel as it fought for its survival. The world cannot be seen only through a rose colored pair of lenses, but we definitely have lost something and replaced it with  nothing worthwhile.
     Cold war over? Not if one has read the papers of late. Russia under Putin is replaying the Soviet role under a new name, buzzing our Navy and our AF, making threats. The Cold War is hot once again. North Korea is going for its fifth nuclear test as its loony leader keeps shooting all who displease him, including his relatives. We welcome back into the fold of nations one which is run by vitriolic lunatics who support terror and then give them a break when they violate the terms of the Treaty and test ballistic missiles (Iran).
     We look away from, or worse, join in, the now hate filled voices of people who find it PC to voice their vicious hatred of Israel and Jews in general and make no mistake about it. When "protesters" stand and scream words of hate, mad threats, with insane faces of overwhelming hatred, when they shout , "Palestine, from the river to the sea" leaving no room for Israel, when they blow up Jews all over the world, target them and then target others as much for the fun of killing them as for anything else, then what kind of a world is it? Why and when did we allow this to happen?
     For the first time since growing up, I am truly frightened for the future. Where will this hatred lead us? Where it will it end - if at all? Why do misguided and misthinking Jews feel they will be immune from this hatred, forgetting that the Jews of the Judenrat, the Jewish heads of the blochs of the death and work camps, the Jewish ghetto police - they all went the same way as the regular one in the ghetto, the victim all of hatred, a murderous hatred. When my grandson and children and grandchildren of my friends have to hide their kipot on campus, when they are threatened in a  physical manner, when Jewish professors who dare to speak out against the anti Semitism and the rampant bias on campuses, when they are forced into long Sabbaticals or retirement even, then this world has definitely gone astray.
     .....And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (The Gospel according to John). Here is a statement that is true for all religions, for all people. But we ignore the truth, particularly if it is ugly, turn our faces from it and hope that we can claim ignorance and feel free of blame. But the smell of lies, the reek of violence, the emptiness of warm and kind feelings, the lack of the gentleness of love - they are all here and we cannot hide from them.
     Even here in the Village there is a sense of that nastiness. I think Gracie is lacking a couple of bricks, and even after the nasty stuff she sends me, mostly repetitive statements with garbage contents, I will still say to the person who wrote that nasty comment on another blog, one which did not even have a connection to the topic raised, that we do not need that vitriolic poison. It should have no place here and to accuse a woman, any woman, of what this did - it is totally unacceptable. Take it down. Truly. Be a step above those who send us nastiness and poison. Be above those who spew forth words and shouts of hate, who suppress freedoms that we are guaranteed under the law.Fight with words, yes, but make them clever, even sarcastic, but not nasty like that.
     "Truth is truth/ To the end of reckoning." Shakespeare, in Measure for Measure, knew what he was talking about (for the most part). Truth is truth and no amount of obfuscation is going to change that fact and if one needs another hint from Willie, then here is one, Over and over again, one of his themes is the fact that the world of Nature and the world of Man reflect each other. Disorder in one will be reflected by disorder in the other. Floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, monster storms, severe drought, vicious tornadoes and the list goes on. Time to think? I believe so. Shall we all sing Jean together? Send out the right vibes into the universe?



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A HODGEPOGE AT THE END OF A WEEK

        End of the week, lots of loose ends roaming around my head so I had better tie up some thoughts or else I will never be able to fall asleep tonite! So....
     First to the holiday. Read an amazing article yesterday from Lilith magazine, on line, and was powerfully stunned for various reasons, not the least of which were some personal revelations. Putting that aside, the writer, a talented writer at that, whose writings I have read before, validated my feelings about the holiday, in part, and of the slavery it laid on women in the preparations for the holiday. But it also laid down reasons for hope that change was here already, needed more, but a good start has been made, in my opinion.
     That led to thinking last nite as I watched the debates. A little shaky from a low sugar issue, I think I shook some more at the thought that if - and a big if at that - Sanders could win the delegate votes he needs for nomination, and Trump won his.....YIKES! Time to move out of the country. He talks a good talk, but it is almost the talk of the college sophomore, imbued with idealism and high flying ideas, but the practical side is missing. There is no follow through, no practical plans or statements. He is careless in his statements and if we were worried about Bush shooting from the hip, then here is that same worry again, particularly re Israel.
     Here is a candidate who is, by the way, Jewish. So what? But he is so determined to show that he can be neutral on the Israeli - Palestinian issue that he bends over backwards and ends up falling on his head. There is no neutrality in this issue. There cannot be. It just does not lend itself to it. What there is, or what there should be, is a calm talking out of the issues between the parties themselves, an end to the bombastic statements of several of these people, and a realization on the part of the world that when they say that the Palestinians should come to the table but not to worry, for even if they do not, oh, they will get their reward anyway and be recognized. What, then, I ask, is their motivation to talk, to change, to concede, to put forth ideas, to back up issues? And where, is the world on this issue? Where are they to explain their willful blindness to other more burning issues?
    And where is Sanders when he appoints a self hating Jew as his Jewish liaison, one who foul mouthed cursed Netanyahu on Facebook, who cannot in any manner be called a reach out person that will succeed. Just what does this say about the candidate? To not vote for him! And by the way, she is now gone.
     And when Clinton finally came through with some passion, reminding all that there are still women's rights and issues that must be faced, she became a true candidate. She has the experience. The question is does she have the integrity to do it all - but that is the question one can ask of all the candidates! No end on this thread.
     So back to the Village threads. Oh, before that - what the hell is with Obama? Is he at that stage where he says to Israel, "Oh yeah, well, I'll get you, my pretty!?" This man has lost all my respect as he has devolved as a leader, rather than growing into his position and becoming a true statesman for post Presidency. No loss!
     Anyway, the Village. What the heck is the matter with the people running this place? So we were told, very sloppily and haphazardly, that we now needed to get new ID cards - again!. It seems the holograms were not serving the purpose, or the guards found it too difficult to see - not sure why - or the machine to read them or show our faces to match the ID cards or something like that - take your choice. So when one went to check in the ID office, one was told yes, you need to change but take your time, no rush now. Ok. But some of our residents, especially the older ones, get anxious, so here they came, walkers and all, schlepping to the Clubhouse on the buses, walking to the office down that long hall and finding..... a long line, over 40, and working on number 13 and 14! And one person working in the office. Great planning! And all there were out there were some impromptu volunteers who stepped up to the plate to keep things organized.
     Yesterday, after a very informative and useful meeting organized by Jerry Karpf, far more useful than seeing some papers sloppily copied on to a website, Gerry hears that oh, no new cards needed. If you have a hologram it is okay; if you don't, then you need a new card. I thought the deadline on that had long passed and what the heck is with their information dispensing system? As usual, all bollixed up - and note my avoidance of the word which truly describes it! My mother would be proud.
     It seems that this happens again and again here. Oh, look at all the pretty pavers. Oh, look quickly for they have to go as they are popping up and unsafe. Why? Who knows? Oh, perhaps they were laid incorrectly? Does anyone think of that? There are pavers all over Israel and they stay down, heat, traffic notwithstanding so here? Nope, now all pavers have to go and ugly black tar poured down but at least it will stay down - hopefully! Again, a lack of proper thought, proper vetting of contractors, of the strong lack of process and procedure, process and procedure. I have said this again and again and yet - it still remains among the missing here in UCO and the Village WPRF.
     By the way, anyone ever hear the final end of the issue at Southampton, what with the wall, the fence, the plantings and all? Guess I will have to shlep over there to see. Wonder what I will find and I will look at both sides -from within the Village and without. Hope process and procedure worked there!
     Why do we not have an ongoing contract with a fixer upper company for all the problems we have with the walkways? With the bus stops? Why do we not have them on retainer rather than constantly putting out for new contracts at ever rising prices and slow repair of the problems?
P& P would work, don't you think?
     Why did we not have a total redo and revamping of the election process wherein there was no part to be played by UCO people so that there would be no irregularities, no taints, no possibilities and no happenings that should not have been. An election is to be neutral in its staffing and certainly candidates should have no part in the process of its reporting. The question is why was this not done? Aha!! Field your own answers. I certainly have mine and so do many other thinking people.
     When will we have a civil delegate assembly? Who knows - or David Israel knows - and that will be when he and his camp grow up and stop behaving in a sophomoric manner what with their booing and shouting out, worse than middle schoolers. It will be when they learn to show respect towards others and the first step might be to remove Jackie Carlin  for she does instigate, does she not?  Ooh, might we call 911 or PBSO or maybe even hire some armed guards for intimidation? Ooh, nope, that is what David did and no good on that. Perhaps some classes on civic responsibility and proper behavior at group meetings? That might work if we could only pry open some ears and heads.
     Oh, well, morning and things to do fast approaching, much to do at end of week so, have a good weekend, people and enjoy our world. I certainly will and thanks to G-d for allowing me that privilege. Next week, we solve the problems of the world!

THE MEANING OF A HOLIDAY, ITS UNIVERSALITY

        This week and last week the various sections of the paperS, especially the food sections, have been filled with recipes for Passover, with seder (the special holiday meal for Passover)and other holiday stories. It is a time when families often travel sometimes great distances to be together, thus they are able to share in the holiday and groan together about how long the seder was!
     But seriously, Passover means a whole lot more than that. It is a holiday that celebrates a seminal period in the history of the Jewish people, one that ostensibly began with G-d sending poor stuttering and frightened Moses to tell Pharaoh to let these people go out into the desert for three days in order to sacrifice to the  Lord. Well, Pharaoh was having none of that! Who in his right mind would send out , allow, all his slaves, from youngest infant to oldest person, to leave for three days to sacrifice to an invisible G-d. Would they even return and even if they did, who knew what crazy ideas they might have gotten into their heads and what an example to set for the other slaves of Egypt! Nothin' doin'!!
     So what is the true meaning of this holiday? Is it to celebrate the flat and dry bread that they took with them - which we eat in the form of matza? Hope not, as this stuff is not my favorite! Was it to celebrate the first religious days vacation taken by workers? Interesting thought. It was a whole lot deeper than that and its meaning continues through the centuries.
     Four hundred years of exile was what the people of Israel were told. The promise of their own land for all eternity was postponed, just a tad it seems, but that was cut short for various reasons, and off they went to find their land, TO LIVE IN IT AGAIN. But, as with the Jewish people throughout history, nothing comes easy, and there were delays and much pain. This holiday of Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, celebrates the return of the Jewish people into a semblance of peoplehood, of nationhood, a return of their pride, of their recognition that there is more than just survival and while we work hard to prepare for this holiday every year - and trust me, the load falls mainly onto the women! - its message is well worth it and of vital importance.
     The people of Israel have kept this holiday throughout the millennia. Even in the ghettoes and shtetls, in the homes of the conversos, where survival was always at risk, even into the very death camps - this holiday was commemorated, its importance valued and its promise of momentous importance and encouragement. If this promise of G-d had taken place and been kept, surely then the rest of the promises would be kept and there would be an end to the horror and the torture, the hate and the killings.
     In conjunction with that hope, it is also called the holiday of springtime. That is the traditional worldwide time of renewal and hope as the new sprigs of life burst forth from the earth, from the trees. We know then that life continues on and life is renewable.
     It is a holiday that sends a message to all the peoples of the world. I just heard the statement that hope is the last thing to die but we must not let it. We have not the right to do that. We cannot let fear and hopelessness, no matter how bad, to overcome and overtake us. We must not, so in the very deepest darkest days of the Holocaust, of whatever horror befell the Jewish people throughout history, there was always hope.  We would survive, there would be survivors.Scrolls were written and hidden, diaries were hidden deep in the ground to tell the story, to give the facts and on the walls were written the words, "Z'chor. Gadank. Remember." Youngsters were told by their dying parents to live, charged with that responsibility, so that they might tell the story, just as we tell the story of Passover every year, twice during the holiday, and study it every year in the schools and learning halls of the Jewish people.
     Matzah? Yes, and bitter herbs as well but also that sprig of parsley and the family, and the old family recipes written in old, European style handwriting, and the memories and the faith, the joy and the sadness, the knowledge that once again we are a free people in our own land - but along with that comes the knowledge that once again there are people who would see us gone, who threaten us as we ride in a car through a tunnel in London, or walk our kids to school in a French city, or who stab us in our own land or try to blow us up - along with the rest of the world.
     It seems that the hate never dies - but neither does the hope. There is a reason why the national anthem of Israel is called Hatikvah, the Hope. Despite all the wry cynicism and sarcasm of Jewish humor, there is that light of hope. This Passover, whether one be Jewish or not, let us all pray for the freedom of all, for the end to the gangs of terrorists that roam the various countries of the world, an end to the threats and the hatred, and a return to at least a somewhat more sane world, a world where Putin does not play chicken with the USA and where all reside in peace.
     I would like to wish all of you out there a Chag kasher v'sameach - a wonderful holiday and even as one chows down - remember the meaning - whether one is Jewish or not and simply a guest at one of the meals. The meaning is universal. Would that its implementation and hopes were universal as well.

ALTERNATIVE HISTORY

     There has been, of late, a spate of books written  with an alternative theory of history, that is, what might have been if things had been different. If a decision had been different, if an action had been taken or not - what would history have been like? I find these books fascinating reading yet shudder at times from the close calls, from what could have been.
     What is even more fascinating - and frightening - are the books written with an alternative future, a result of a different past or  different outcomes of reality in the past and the fact that these books are so realistic can scare the wits of the reader. In any case, I am reading a fascinating book called The Ambassador by Yehuda Avner and I cannot put it down, for its "history' and what it says about us, humankind.
     What amazes me in this book is the fact that the author could have an optimistic point of view about the ability of some people, some very evil people, to turn themselves around, to face the truth that reached out and smacked them right in the face, the realization that these people whom they treated as subhuman, whom they slaughtered, were people, with wants and desires, needs and loves and in turn did a totally unexpected turnaround and performed an act or two of heroic, yet seemingly minor, proportions.
     Here, while we had an author who believed in the possibility of good, even as Anne Frank also wrote that she believed that there was good in people(amazing that she could write that), an author of another book, Jacqueline Winspear, wrote in her latest Maisie Dobbs book, Journey to Munich,  which took place mainly in pre war Nazi Germany, that all of us have a streak of evil within us, one that allows us to say just the thing that will hurt someone, or commit a cruel act, but most of us can control these feelings; however, there are some people, who when confronted by a certain circumstance, open the floodgates of their evil and it pours forth, to a degree which can astonish humanity. Such were the Nazis and their helpers, their co-criminals.
     I happen to believe in both theories, as contradictory as that may sound, but I have seen it happen and cannot explain at times the sudden act of kindness from the nasty person, or the helping hand and heart that can suddenly come to the fore. But I also know of the hatred that lurks within man, that looks for an entrance into the world and as I look around in this world at the present time, it is frightening to see all the hate. And yet, we are also finding that bitter enemies, blood enemies, of long duration, can actually talk and deal with each other. Listen and you will hear some of the voices of hope coming out of Israel and Saudi Arabia, a lone voice from Kuwait, the long lasting peace between Israel and Jordan and Egypt. It is not always smooth, but it is there.
     The message? Well, always read, for it gives nourishment to the brain, but seriously, the world out there is not very different than the world in here, inside the gates of CV. People become heated, revved up over the doings in the Village, over the misdeeds, the poor policies, the acts taken or not, with malice aforethought or  not, of careless thinking and incompetence. But they also need to think of the people who volunteer and want only what is good for the Village, who actually care. I know that these people, today, while growing in number, are now tired. Tired but still determined. I know that many of us who have volunteered or wish to volunteer have been turned away or turned off by the actions of certain members of UCO, but we must also remember that we can write an alternative history of the future if we remember that nothing is permanent and that WE HAVE MADE  A DIFFERENCE already. The ballot machine, certain policies - all came about because UCO was pushed into it. WE denied them the wasteful policy of their Wi Fi and need to watch about Broadband, but we can do it. We can triumph in our struggle for the Village and our future.
    So although many people are now tired after the election and some people are disgusted and even depressed at the difficulty of getting this camp out of office when our hands are tied by all these new rules and regulations, illegal suppression of our freedoms of speech, of assembly and of the press - do not give up. I know that many of us are staying home, not attending committee meetings as they are ridiculous rubber stamps of the same people time and time again and what a waste and what an insult to the our intelligence. Do they think we do not notice that the Advisory and the Bid and the Officers, etc., are 95% the same people with the odd person thrown in as  a token - if even that - so the votes are moronic with no purpose - not until there is a fair realignment of the members and a limit of one time to vote for all people, not again and again and again and again.....ad infinitum and truly ad nauseam!
    But the time will come when we finally turn this place around. In the meanwhile, before Nature takes its course, before time runs on and over us, we need to stay strong and devoted to the truth and not give in to despair. Remember - arf, arf!

THE WATERWAYS AND THE TRUTH

     We have not had much rain lately and the lakes and canals are low in depth and shrinking in width even as we grow more beachfront property. We cannot do a thing about the rain but we sure as shootin' need to take advantage of the low waters to see where trouble lies and DO something!
     Walking over the Wellington bridge, I nearly passed out! The bottom of the waterway is totally gross, disgusting to the nth degree. It is full of ugly green gook or whatever, at the bottom, never having been there before and we have seen that waterway dry. What is that green gunk and why are we not getting rid of it? Why have we not seen some experts who know what they are doing roaming the waterways of the Village and coming up with solutions that WORK.
     For years already we have been hearing about the aeration of the waters of the Clubhouse lake or Chatham lake. We have put in geo tubes at great expense - and always having to be fixed. We have added onerous rules about the waterways (along with other rules that govern life here in the Village) and I keep hearing that those lake areas are oh, so much better but guess what? The "proof" they give is all gobbledygook and in techno speak. How about plain English and how about plain statistics about the content of the water? How about the other lakes of the Village? I do not live in the Clubhouse or by its lake but I, and thousands of others, do live alongside other lakes and they are not to be ignored.
     Oh, the lake shores by the Clubhouse are ever so much prettier than they were what with all the new plantings there and alongside the Clubhouse itself, yet another instance of us prettying up Levy's building at our expense. Well, we need real work on the waterways and in the waters themselves.
     A few months ago I read of the cleanup, the successful ongoing cleanup of the Gowanus Canal, one of the stinkiest and filthiest waterways of the world, yet it is progressing. A new technique of using a specially constructed small island, not a large thing, but one we could even manage, and how it filters the incoming water. Why not do that along with insisting that the County itself or the State or whomever is responsible for that water entering our waterways do something about the chemicals and minerals that are in the water in incorrect and harmful amounts?
     I gave the article to Eva who made a copy and said she would talk or show it to Don. Well, folks, Don has come a long ways since he started off with David Israel and won favor by becoming a shill for him and sending me nasty emails. He has stopped that and we now talk to each other in a civil manner when there are issues to be discussed, but.....but.... while Don has been instrumental in getting a bus stop problem fixed, Don is not a chemist nor an engineer nor a scientist or gone thru years of schooling and experience with waterways and their needs and regeneration and neither has David Israel. In fact, I am sure that any idea that came from me was automatically discarded! Why not talk to experts who are actually in the field, who have actually met with success? Too simple, hmmm?
     The other day I was told that the presence of an alligator family near Northampton was a sign that the waters are clearing up because evidently the alligators like fresh clear water. Hmmm. Could have fooled me and the alligators who like to live in the nasty canals of Florida and in the swamps - and maybe even in the sewers of NYC! (lol)
     Seriously, all the tinkering around and dealing with the symptoms rather than the cause is in error. Going to the source along with treatment of the current waters is the way to go. Ask any woman and she will tell you, yes, one sweeps the mud and sand off the floors but one also goes to the source and stops that in order to stop the sand - so no shoes inside, or a big mat at the door, or a boot scraper or whatever is needed. I have the patience and yes, the brain, to get involved here but that will NEVER happen and we all know why, don't we? But I could care less about who works on this as long as they work with sense, scientific and common, and realize that this is a problem whose time has long come and which is getting worse. Just take a sniff at some of the canals of the Village and even some lakes and then tell me again that work is succeeding? Or even being done? All I know is that I shudder when I walk over the bridge and the wind blows the water from the lake over me. Yuccchhh! Who knows what the hell is in that water?
     This is not a problem that should be taken up and divided along partisan lines. I believe I would even work with the devil if he knew the secret path to take to fix our waterways. Hmmm, perhaps he is already here? (arf, arf)

REMEMBER AND TRUTH

     Read the following slowly and think, digest, for it is not easy reading as far as understanding our own selves, what we remember and our truths.
     Heard about a movie called Remember, starring Martin Landau and Christopher Plummer and as usual, Lake Worth theater was the one to show it, as it does most of the Jewish and/or Israeli themed movies. I thank them for that.
     Anyway, I knew this had something to do with a final task, liked the stars, and so off we went - to a beautifully redone theater with cushy comfortable seats and even some normal previews! The movie concerned a final task of a lifetime, devised by two elderly residents of a senior residence, one who could barely breathe but was the brains of the plot and the other a man in the throes of mid stage dementia who had just lost his wife. Both had evidently been in Auschwitz and suffered from the same Blochfuehrer who killed their families and off went Christopher Plummer - Zev - to finally get this man and give him his due justice.
     Suffice it to say that you should see the movie and I will not tell you any more of its contents, only that you will be rapt within the movie and its actions, shocked and troubled at some things and rooting for a man to be able to fulfill this final task of his life, all the while his son is looking for his missing father.
     The connection to the Holocaust is important, but perhaps even more so is the stress on truth. What do we do when we cannot recognize the truth? How do we gain knowledge of it and then what do we do with that truth? How do we reconcile it with the "truth" that we thought we knew. What does it tell us about ourselves? Do we even want to face the true truth or do we wish to remain ignorant of it and continue on with our lives? And again, what does that say about us?
     To remember the truth is to remember something different than what actually happened. Ask three different people involved what happened and one will get three different stories, for truth and the past are remembered always colored by the wash of personal needs and stresses. That does not make it wrong, only what it is and what we have to work with. Do the exact details of the truth have to exactly mesh or can they be melded together in a working fashion which presents us with what we need to know?
     I believe that even what we remember tells us much of the truth about ourselves. I can remember certain moments from my past which I wish I had done differently, which greatly affected me, and when I speak with someone whom I believe was also greatly affected - they have no memory of it! Go figure! Or my siblings can look at each other as one retells a story of the family and three of us are clueless - though we supposedly were there too! Go figure again!
     So how does one KNOW the truth? How does one KNOW what to use as a basis for life? I have no idea other than to hope that when we all remember, that we accept that there is a truth hidden under that remembrance and we must evaluate that truth for what it tells us about ourselves and even about others and the respective motivations. It must tell us why we are acting as we do, why we have made certain decisions and why we hang with those we choose to make our social companions or leaders, for better or worse.
     I like movies. I like their escapism, the action movies. I hate the dumb comedy ones that are seemingly always aimed at sophomoric teenage boys in the bodies of adult men, who never grew up - and doesn't that tell us something of a truth! I like reading, but we all must remember that the arts were not put here to only amuse us but also to teach us, to force us to examine our inner selves, to find the truth, live with it, deal with it, and accept it even as we learn to act on that truth. A difficult truth to accept and a difficult task.
     In the fall a movie called Sylvia - Tracing Blood will be released, a documentary about an amazing woman. I am sure it will be in the theater of Lake Worth and perhaps even in the standard ones, but one line in particular struck me. Sylvia remarked, when asked about her burial  choice, answered, 'I wish to be buried in the soil of my soul." Would that we are all able to make that statement and know that which is the soil of our soul and that our soul has lived a good and truthful life and to remember - would be a good thing.
     And if you think that you, as an individual, have nothing to remember, no truth of your life to examine, think again, for we all do - about our past lives, our present lives, about the friends we choose, about our actions and the words we use, about our desire for justice, for the virtues of the Superman of old, or how we have strayed from the idealistic kid we were and how we have sold our souls. Choose what fits you and work from there.
     There is a saying and a concept in Hebrew that goes like this. "Ha'maven yavin." The one who understands, understands - that which is written and that which is implied. Are you that maven and what will you do with your newfound evaluation and knowledge of the truth? What will you remember and what do you want others to remember about you and your truth?