Thursday, May 28, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
The magic of a perfect Spring day
The magical feeling of a perfect Spring day - Everything feels new, like I'm seeing it for the first time
Monday, April 14, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Road Warrior Travel Hacks
This post by Johnee99 includes some great sleep aids, whether you're on the road or in your own bed :-)
Johnee99: My Road Warrior Travel Hacks: 2012 "Best Of" Editi...
Johnee99: My Road Warrior Travel Hacks: 2012 "Best Of" Editi...
Friday, December 21, 2012
Civilians with Guns - America vs. Israel
Why is it that guns are probably less controlled than almost anything else in America?
When I moved back to NY from Israel at 19, I was struck by how Americans seemed to love the power of guns, and treated them in much the same way they did a muscle car or a watch collection. What I didn't see was any of the healthy sense of respect and responsibility that should come with owning a gun. It was a stark contrast from what I'd seen living in Israel - even though I probably knew more Israelis with guns than cars (we had 3 - an UZI & an M16 which my parents had been assigned for guard duty, and my Mom bought a pistol because she couldn't come to grips with carrying a machine gun to PTA meetings), and armed civilians provide protection almost everywhere you go - school, the mall, synagogue, even a school outing - there is a tremendous amount of oversight in place to ensure that only the right people get/remain licensed. In fact, if an Israeli's gun is stolen they go to jail (I believe for 7 years). And I've never once heard of an Israeli who collected guns - let alone build up the kind of arsenals that only a militia could ever need.
I'm not opposed to people having the right to protect themselves, but do I think that it's time that the laws caught up with the 21st century.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Remarkable Friendliness of Strangers
I had four days to chill out in Tel Aviv and no friends around with whom to hang out or crash, so I decided to give CouchSurfing (www.couchsurfing.org) a chance. While I knew that the site offered free home hospitality around the world, I was excited and touched to discover that it’s members wanted to hang out and show you their favorite spots in Tel Aviv.
With the wonderful rhythm that happens when visitors are embraced into a friend’s life, my time was filled with dinners at amazing restaurants (including the best gluten-free restaurant I’ve ever tried), dancing at a music festival in the wonderfully quaint Bialik Square, 2am drinks at sidewalk cafes, and chilling on the beach with new friends. Between my host, Yonathan, who included me in all his plans, and the few other members I had time to meet up with, my social life was even busier than it is in NYC. Even better, they introduced me to the side of Tel Aviv I had been looking for and never found during the eight years I’d lived there, and I finally fell in love with Israel.
With the wonderful rhythm that happens when visitors are embraced into a friend’s life, my time was filled with dinners at amazing restaurants (including the best gluten-free restaurant I’ve ever tried), dancing at a music festival in the wonderfully quaint Bialik Square, 2am drinks at sidewalk cafes, and chilling on the beach with new friends. Between my host, Yonathan, who included me in all his plans, and the few other members I had time to meet up with, my social life was even busier than it is in NYC. Even better, they introduced me to the side of Tel Aviv I had been looking for and never found during the eight years I’d lived there, and I finally fell in love with Israel.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Perspective & Introspective
People see the external blurred by their own perceptions,
never really seeing what’s inside another person.
Seeing and yet not seeing.
To see my pain, my struggles, my reality,
look in me not at me.
Listen for the clues, feel my vulnerability, look into my eyes and
see the real me.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
My Great Grandfather's letter to my Mom - his version of 'Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus'
Dear Merri Ruth:
I understand you have gotten the idea that there is no Santa Claus. Let me say you must be wrong for there is really a Santa Claus. Yes a thousand and ten thousand times there is a Santa Claus.
Now there may not be a Santa Claus that brings boys and girls toys but the things he really brings us is much more valuable than presents and toys.
Without this greater(?) Santa Claus, we would not have any flowers, would not have the songs of birds, we would not have any day and night or winter and summer. He brings us the sunshine and the rain. He supplies us with the very air we breath every minute of our lives.
Yes a thousand and ten thousand times there is a very wonderful Santa Claus. In the Bible he is given another name.
Merry Christmas
Love
Grandpa
Saturday, November 27, 2010
What would you add to this list?
Adult Truths by Susie Baumohl
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary? recent surveys show 54% of today's youth cannot write in cursive. We all should have been keyboarding!!!!
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary? recent surveys show 54% of today's youth cannot write in cursive. We all should have been keyboarding!!!!
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Help eliminate drunk driving
My life was forever changed on December 24th, 2007. My friends and I had just had dinner in downtown Manhattan and were walking to a party, when a drunk driver came speeding down 8th Avenue and instead of stopping for the red light, he swerved around the other cars into the bike lane and barreled through the intersection. He hit myself and my friend, and narrowly missed another friend who somehow managed to lunge for the curb. I was lucky to survive, and 2 1/2 years later I am well on my way to recovery.
I am committed to doing anything in my power to eradicate drunk driving, and I strongly support the work being done by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) on a State-by-State level to require anyone convicted of drunk driving install an ignition-interlock device, as well their efforts on the Federal level for the development of non-intrusive alcohol detection systems in new cars in order to "virtually eliminate drunk driving once and for all."
Please help pass the Sarbanes ROADS SAFE Act which is aimed to do just that. Click here to urge your Senators and Representatives to pass this bill before Election Day.
I am committed to doing anything in my power to eradicate drunk driving, and I strongly support the work being done by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) on a State-by-State level to require anyone convicted of drunk driving install an ignition-interlock device, as well their efforts on the Federal level for the development of non-intrusive alcohol detection systems in new cars in order to "virtually eliminate drunk driving once and for all."
Please help pass the Sarbanes ROADS SAFE Act which is aimed to do just that. Click here to urge your Senators and Representatives to pass this bill before Election Day.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
What would you grab in the event of a fire?
My neighbor grabbed his 3 pets. Some people took their laptops or paperwork they were in the midst of. What would you take?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Technology Can Eradicate Drunk Driving
As someone who was seriously injured and almost killed 2 years ago by a drunk driver while crossing the street in lower Manhattan, I have been closely following the relevant legislative issues such as ignition-interlock devices. While I strongly support legislation requiring that anyone convicted of drunk driving install an ignition-interlock device, this would not have protected me from the 21 year old, with no priors, who sped down 8th Avenue with a BAC of 1.8, swerving around the cars stopped at a light and through the intersection just as I was crossing the street with a group of friends. In fact, of the nearly 1.5 million drivers arrested for driving under the influence, 1 million of them have no prior conviction of drunk driving.
I first heard of interlock ignition devices from a MADD volunteer, who suggested that I ask the D.A. to include it in the drivers sentence, which I, of course, promptly did. Once I realized that technology existed which could have prevented the accident, I started thinking that in addition to requiring that it be installed in the cars of anyone caught driving under the influence, we should really require that all new cars be equipped with such technology. After all, isn’t the primary goal of any government to protect its citizens from dangers posed by individuals or entities, and to make public areas and roads safe?
Recent research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that two thirds of Americans feel the same way that I do, and support putting alcohol detection systems in all cars, and manufacturers and non-profit organizations are now developing the technology that would make this vital public safety measure a reality. However, it is obvious that self-regulation has not worked well in regards to drunk driving and it seems apparent that it is time for the federal government to get involved.
There are an estimated 13,000 fatalities and over half a million people injured in the U.S. every year in alcohol-impaired traffic accidents, and it’s estimated that 30% of Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash during their lives (MADD). The national health and economic costs resulting from these accidents are astronomical. Injuries sustained in car accidents range from relatively minor ones which can still permanently affect quality of life, to the more serious such as paralysis or brain injury (with car accidents being the leading cause of Traumatic Brain Injury). In addition, the economic costs related to health care, lost wages and property damage are estimated at $114.3 billion, the majority of which are borne by the victims, not the offender. Add to that the government expenditures involved in enforcing the relevant laws (apprehending, convicting, and incarcerating the offenders), and the numbers make this a national issue that demands a concerted focus on trying all reasonable solutions to eradicate the problem.
The simple solution of requiring that all new vehicles be equipped with alcohol detection systems will prevent most, if not all, drunk driving accidents within a few years, along with the terrible effect they have on so many lives. Moreover, the cost of implementing this change is far less than the cost of drunk driving accidents to this country every year.
I first heard of interlock ignition devices from a MADD volunteer, who suggested that I ask the D.A. to include it in the drivers sentence, which I, of course, promptly did. Once I realized that technology existed which could have prevented the accident, I started thinking that in addition to requiring that it be installed in the cars of anyone caught driving under the influence, we should really require that all new cars be equipped with such technology. After all, isn’t the primary goal of any government to protect its citizens from dangers posed by individuals or entities, and to make public areas and roads safe?
Recent research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that two thirds of Americans feel the same way that I do, and support putting alcohol detection systems in all cars, and manufacturers and non-profit organizations are now developing the technology that would make this vital public safety measure a reality. However, it is obvious that self-regulation has not worked well in regards to drunk driving and it seems apparent that it is time for the federal government to get involved.
There are an estimated 13,000 fatalities and over half a million people injured in the U.S. every year in alcohol-impaired traffic accidents, and it’s estimated that 30% of Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash during their lives (MADD). The national health and economic costs resulting from these accidents are astronomical. Injuries sustained in car accidents range from relatively minor ones which can still permanently affect quality of life, to the more serious such as paralysis or brain injury (with car accidents being the leading cause of Traumatic Brain Injury). In addition, the economic costs related to health care, lost wages and property damage are estimated at $114.3 billion, the majority of which are borne by the victims, not the offender. Add to that the government expenditures involved in enforcing the relevant laws (apprehending, convicting, and incarcerating the offenders), and the numbers make this a national issue that demands a concerted focus on trying all reasonable solutions to eradicate the problem.
The simple solution of requiring that all new vehicles be equipped with alcohol detection systems will prevent most, if not all, drunk driving accidents within a few years, along with the terrible effect they have on so many lives. Moreover, the cost of implementing this change is far less than the cost of drunk driving accidents to this country every year.
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