Actually, it's a group of Howler monkeys who actually do howl. Two adults--presumably mom and dad; and two babies. All howling, all flying from branch to branch, and all being watched ever so diligently by two of the ugliest vultures I have ever seen in my whole life. Not just ugly but humongous. Perhaps hoping for a meal or three. All of this poolside in Nosara, Costa Rica. A small village on the Pacific coast where we went for 6 days to celebrate the wedding of Stef and Graham. Had a wonderful time with wonderful weather, wonderful people, and a wonderful ceremony. selfishly, it was especially nice because Anna, Jess, and Lilli joined us and we had some good family time with them. No beach for me,however. You get sand between your toes when you go to the beach and you are wiping the sand out seemingly forever. And I grew up in Florida.
Before I go any further--congrats to Tess who will be a member of the cheerleading squad at George Mason University in the fall. Good for her. Not that she told me but I learned that old George is considered one of the founders of our country. Had no clue--if only Mrs. Reynolds had taught me History as well as Latin.
So Scottie wants Warren Buffet to shut up and just pay the taxes for his secretary which of course (given Scottie's brain capacity) misses the whole point. Then today he twisted himself into knots explaining why his daughter is covered by the state's mandated insurance benefit but he voted against obamacare. Seems like he loves it for him and his family but would not recommend it if it is mandated for someone elsewhere. By the way try as I might, I just don't get this whole thing about Elizabeth Warren and whether Harvard identified her as a member of a minority group. What am I missing? I will tell you I hope she gets the wheels back on her bike because there has been a noticeable drop in her zeal recently.
Also seen way too many comments by and pictures of Bob Kraft with the Mitter. It all goes back to Israel and the perception that the Mitter is a stronger supporter. Those alta kakers (Yiddish for old shits) in AIPAC are giving the Mitter big bucks.
Congressman Allan West is an African American/Republican from my old state--yup that would be Florida. And guess what this bright light thinks--at least 81 of his House colleagues are Communists. Perfect--a fucking lunatic which if I am Barack, I just skip Florida in terms of November.
Cartagena is another story. Apparently everyone except me knew that it is the place to go in South America for prostitutes--kind of like Amsterdam in Europe. I guess some of our soldiers and secret service men knew about it. Maybe it was a good think Cuba was not invited--god only knows what that old Raul Castro might have done. Then the Supremes are asking questions which leads folks to believe they might like the nasty immigration law in Arizona. I'm telling you, whoever wins in November will get two or three nominees on that court--if for no other reason, that is why Barack has to be a winner.
A new rule if you see me driving down the street--if you are on your cell phone and want me to stop while you cross the street yakking on it, watch out. I don't stop for multi taskers. Second new rule--motorized scooters (like Vespas) are not bikes. They should not be using the bike lane. Not sure how to interfere with them without injuring someone but I am a bit tired of having them lap me at long lines. UGH.
SPORTS TALK
So I did glow about Rondo two weeks ago and yeah he continues to play out of his mind. Equally out of his mind is his infantile outburst on national tv Sunday. Those are the times he s nothing but a nuisance and a baby and if he wears one more band aid or pad, I think we need to call the EMT's--enough. The Bruins went peacefully into the night and for once I am in agreement with some of the talking heads. Lucic needs to figure out his game. He was a non factor and not just because he did not score. He hit nothing but air and he is physically imposing. Without Seguin, there was nothing. And Sid the Kid might be the best player in the league but after his putrid performance against the Flyers, the Penguins can have him. Also another baby. Like the frist two picks of the Pats--but if they are not starters, then they are busts period.
Sayonara.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
I'M KVELLIN'
No not jellin' with Dr. Scholl. And no not another word I learned from Mrs. Reynolds as she wrapped me with her ruler. Kvell(ing) without the "ing" is a Yiddish word I learned from my mother--it more or less means to take pride in but in a BIG BIG way. And I'm kvellin" because Barbara and I spent a week with Oliver and Lilli--those would be our grandchildren. Their school vacation week was a couple of weeks ago and we met them and their parental drivers at the famous Ruby Road exit off I-84 in Northern Connecticut--home of that scrumptious all you can eat buffet which all of us passed on. Though we did manage to have lunch and exchange precious cargo--made it back home to Beantown in time for dinner and a week with the kids. They were wonderful and we did a lot of stuff with them including the Big Apple circus, the zoo, the MFA, assorted meals out, and some parks. They also had some play dates with old friends which they really enjoyed. I have been reminded by their mother that I don't know what its like to raise two kids so close in age. She is oh so right. My eyes were poked literally/regularly somewhere around 7 every morning and while someone else (Babs) was able to get a few more zzz's, the kids and I stumbled downstairs to begin our morning routines--which more or less meant unlimited tv until I could really wake up. The week ended with their parents arriving and joining the kids and assorted relatives for the first Seder. A really nice evening which both kids participated in. Lilli read the 4 questions in
English. Just a terrific time--Jess and Steffen have done a great job. We shall repeat our stellar performance in May this time in the City of Brotherly Love.
Moving on--Want to welcome the 4 Fleishers to this space. I am pushing closer to 50 though I am missing some key states--like Mississippi which as I have often said ranks 50th in terms of medical care in the country but has the world's best sex addiction facility--just ask Tiger. Know someone from the heart of the Confederacy?
Speaking of the confederacy, I think the best decision I ever made was to leave Florida. That state has turned into an armed camp so it should be no surprise that this child Trayvon was killed since guns are so prevalent and there is a law allowing you to "defend" yourself and your property. Furthermore, the new Hispanic manager of the now Miami (not Florida) Marlins is Ozzie Guillen. The man has always spoken his mind so anyone hiring him should have expected something to erupt sooner or later--in this case sooner. He decided he had an opinion about Fidel and the opinion was that maybe he was not so bad. Well, those octogenarian Cuban refugees might and did disagree. Caused a big hullabaloo down there and he got himself suspended not by Major League Baseball but by the team which is very mindful of the need for the support of the Hispanic community. Miami is simply run by these folks as if the revolution were a week ago. BTW, I was going to put this in the SPORTS section but a close friend insisted that I put it above the fold as they say in my business. Finally, we have Obama in Venezuela refusing to agree to allow Cuba to participate in whatever kind of Inter-American confab he was attending. Just fucking great kissing up to those Octo's like he is ever going to win Florida to begin with.
So Romney will be Barack's opponent and so far every poll shows Barack winning. My two polls consist of talking to one person from Ohio and one from NH--both of whom say nope he wont win their state. So I would be worried. Hope that unemployment rate is 7% by November and that every woman, person of color, and gay person in American votes. Otherwise the Supreme Court will end up worse than it is now.
I saw some list of the country's best hospitals and just don't get the following. Both MGH and Brigham and Women's made it but not Deaconess which just happens to be where all my docs are. All 3 are Hahvahd hospitals. What I don't get is why 2 make it and the third does not--do the boys/girls at Hahvahd shell out resources differently? And what about Mt. Auburn also a Hahvahd teaching hospital. There is something screwed up about all this.
The Bib C is back with Laura Linney--I love it and the best thing is that in the new season her hubby (Oliver Platt who I love) has started his own blog and immediately outed Laura for having had an affair. The least I can say is that I know my boundaries. A terrific show.
And a terrific book about Juarez Mexico whose name I forget but the author is Robert Andrew Powell. He went there to live and wanted to write about the god awful murder rate--about 5 on an average day. But he ends up using the local soccer team as the vehicle to enter the community and integrates its season with all the killing. He is on the same bench as Jon Krakauer and Sebastian Junger.
Speaking of Passover (and I was way back there) the vegetarian chopped liver from Whole Foods is simply to die for.
SPORTS TALK
The great white hype (that would be Phil) and Tiger both failed at Augusta. I cannot stand to watch Phil and his all white rooting section. On the other hand Tiger continues to have major psychological problems and I guess he may need to head back into Mississippi for a tune up.
I actually picked Kentucky in the NCAA pool but lost so many other games, I finished way down. The minute there are upsets especially by a smaller school (like Murray State this year) over a big conference school, I am totally screwed since I pretty much believe the stronger conference should prevail. Wrong.
The Celtics are playing better and as the boys on PTI would say--"they were going to trade Rondo? Are they crazy". He is playing out of his mind though every so often he makes a first grade dopey play. And speaking of out of his mind, Tim Thomas is there again despite his despicable politics. Now if only someone could put the puck in the net. At least those dastardly Canucks are in worse shape.
Off for Stef and Grahams big wedding event in Costa Rica. Hoping to see the monkeys up in the trees but no zip lines for me.
I do love Bruce's new album. Been wearing it out in the car.
sayonara
English. Just a terrific time--Jess and Steffen have done a great job. We shall repeat our stellar performance in May this time in the City of Brotherly Love.
Moving on--Want to welcome the 4 Fleishers to this space. I am pushing closer to 50 though I am missing some key states--like Mississippi which as I have often said ranks 50th in terms of medical care in the country but has the world's best sex addiction facility--just ask Tiger. Know someone from the heart of the Confederacy?
Speaking of the confederacy, I think the best decision I ever made was to leave Florida. That state has turned into an armed camp so it should be no surprise that this child Trayvon was killed since guns are so prevalent and there is a law allowing you to "defend" yourself and your property. Furthermore, the new Hispanic manager of the now Miami (not Florida) Marlins is Ozzie Guillen. The man has always spoken his mind so anyone hiring him should have expected something to erupt sooner or later--in this case sooner. He decided he had an opinion about Fidel and the opinion was that maybe he was not so bad. Well, those octogenarian Cuban refugees might and did disagree. Caused a big hullabaloo down there and he got himself suspended not by Major League Baseball but by the team which is very mindful of the need for the support of the Hispanic community. Miami is simply run by these folks as if the revolution were a week ago. BTW, I was going to put this in the SPORTS section but a close friend insisted that I put it above the fold as they say in my business. Finally, we have Obama in Venezuela refusing to agree to allow Cuba to participate in whatever kind of Inter-American confab he was attending. Just fucking great kissing up to those Octo's like he is ever going to win Florida to begin with.
So Romney will be Barack's opponent and so far every poll shows Barack winning. My two polls consist of talking to one person from Ohio and one from NH--both of whom say nope he wont win their state. So I would be worried. Hope that unemployment rate is 7% by November and that every woman, person of color, and gay person in American votes. Otherwise the Supreme Court will end up worse than it is now.
I saw some list of the country's best hospitals and just don't get the following. Both MGH and Brigham and Women's made it but not Deaconess which just happens to be where all my docs are. All 3 are Hahvahd hospitals. What I don't get is why 2 make it and the third does not--do the boys/girls at Hahvahd shell out resources differently? And what about Mt. Auburn also a Hahvahd teaching hospital. There is something screwed up about all this.
The Bib C is back with Laura Linney--I love it and the best thing is that in the new season her hubby (Oliver Platt who I love) has started his own blog and immediately outed Laura for having had an affair. The least I can say is that I know my boundaries. A terrific show.
And a terrific book about Juarez Mexico whose name I forget but the author is Robert Andrew Powell. He went there to live and wanted to write about the god awful murder rate--about 5 on an average day. But he ends up using the local soccer team as the vehicle to enter the community and integrates its season with all the killing. He is on the same bench as Jon Krakauer and Sebastian Junger.
Speaking of Passover (and I was way back there) the vegetarian chopped liver from Whole Foods is simply to die for.
SPORTS TALK
The great white hype (that would be Phil) and Tiger both failed at Augusta. I cannot stand to watch Phil and his all white rooting section. On the other hand Tiger continues to have major psychological problems and I guess he may need to head back into Mississippi for a tune up.
I actually picked Kentucky in the NCAA pool but lost so many other games, I finished way down. The minute there are upsets especially by a smaller school (like Murray State this year) over a big conference school, I am totally screwed since I pretty much believe the stronger conference should prevail. Wrong.
The Celtics are playing better and as the boys on PTI would say--"they were going to trade Rondo? Are they crazy". He is playing out of his mind though every so often he makes a first grade dopey play. And speaking of out of his mind, Tim Thomas is there again despite his despicable politics. Now if only someone could put the puck in the net. At least those dastardly Canucks are in worse shape.
Off for Stef and Grahams big wedding event in Costa Rica. Hoping to see the monkeys up in the trees but no zip lines for me.
I do love Bruce's new album. Been wearing it out in the car.
sayonara
Sunday, April 1, 2012
LIKE BATS OUT OF HELL
No, not the Meatloaf album which I have never heard. The Colorado River flows through downtown Austin--the natives who tend to view themselves as "twisted" and "weird" (in fact most bumper stickers say "keep Austin weird") refer to the river as a lake. Which of course makes no sense but is precisely the point. Nonetheless (as I pick up my thread), much like the throngs who watch sunset in Key West's Mallory Square, throngs line up on and around the main bridge over the Colorado. What for, one might ask (or not)? Well, it seems a bazilllion bats live under the bridge and at sunset come out to feed--and amuse all of us as they blast out. There are tours and tour boats, kayaks, canoes, and other amphibious vehicles. There are also those trying to take pictures but those suckers are flying so fast the photos must all be blurred.
The point is we visited Anna a week or so ago in her new digs. A great and healthy place to live. Only problem is that Austin is like an oasis in a desert called Texas with you know who as governor. All sorts of miserable things happen in other parts of the state but Austin, with UT right there, is a runner/bicyclist/foodie heaven. They have more food trucks serving more kinds of food in more vacant lots than any place I have ever seen. And it is good food. On the other hand,(and perhaps I am prone to hyperbole) but in 5 of the 6 restaurants we were in I was the oldest by at least 20 years--and Barbara and I might have been the onliest people with no tats. I will end this section with the important point. Anna is great and quite settled in what with her new car and great apartment. Austin also has a cool movie theatre which serves food at your seat and has the best previews and other preshow shorts that I have ever seen.
ONWARD BUT NOT NECESSARILY UPWARD:
Just finished my first novel about Finland--specifically happening in the cities of Helsinki and Turku. Author's last name is Wagner. Not great but it was good and it does allow me to receive the gold medal for completing the Scandinavian cycle. I am now onto a competitor of Stieg Larsson (thanks to Joan Y.)--a couple who refer to themselves as Lars Kepler and write mysteries about Sweden. The first one I read was terrific.
An ugly week for Obamacare. I have been warned not to take the questions by the justices too seriously but Jeffrey Toobin(who I really like)--Jeffrey apparently does take them seriously and he is seriously worried that the whole thing will be tossed. Not sure what this means politically. But I am sure of the following--at least two pieces of that bill are in place. One allows young adults up to the age of 26 to stay on their parents insurance and the other protects people who have pre- existing conditions. If either of those get tossed, there will be a lot of so called "main street" people who may finally understand what the fuss is all about. And no, Obama is not responsible for the price of gas and those sucky Republicans better watch out because that shit won't stick.
Speaking of Republicans. Santorum can continue to kick and scream but the numbers don't seem to work for him. I think Romney is a tough opponent for Obama but I think he is almost tougher for some of the Conservatives to accept. Will be interesting as we get closer to November.
The death of that young person (Trayvon) in Florida is horrid but what can one expect from that state which more and more is a creation of very conservative forces. I find it subtly ironic that someone named Zimmerman (sounds like a member of my tribe but I'm not sure)is Hispanic. In the mid 60's when I left Miami, tensions were already surfacing between the Hispanic (mainly Cuban at that point) and African American communities. Now 50 years later we have this.
I almost feel like telling Karzai ok we are leaving. Since all he does is steal money we give his country and complain about our troops--maybe we should just say: "you know, you are right, we are leaving". Too many deaths on behalf of a totally inept and corrupt government.
That Rutgers kid who used spyware to look in in on his gay roommate--that kid should get locked up for a while. Yet another child of immigrants who is totally intolerant of the people who are different even though HE IS DIFFERENT. Get it, sucker?
So, more questions about those pesky bicyclists. What is the point of having a bike lane if motorized scooters use it to bypass all of us. I almost clobbered one which
was in that bike lane--are they allowed? And what is your position about the following--young folks on bikes with baskets in the front and those old fashioned horns that you squeeze? Kind of too foo foo for me--kind of like that bike in ET--they are for 10 year olds; not adults with beards.
SPORTS TALK
So, since I declared both the Bruins and the Celtics to be on life support, they of course have both come back and both are playing very well. Still think neither wins it all but am starting to think the Bruins will get further than then Celts. Celtics play the Heat today in Boston--should be interesting.
Too bad for the Saints. I already thought some of the NFL players were thuggish (ever listen to James Harrison of the Steelers?)--and this just institutionalizes it. Payton actually should be in jail with his team and if he were the CEO of a corporation, he would be.
Then we have this: A church in Denver announced they were "mourning" the trade of Tim Tebow to the Jets. How fucked up is that. And how do you think his religiosity will play in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Totally screwed up my NCAA brackets though I do have Kentucky which was a no brainer. I will say Michigan specifically and the Big 10 generally should be embarrassed at their failures.
That's about it.
Sayonara
The point is we visited Anna a week or so ago in her new digs. A great and healthy place to live. Only problem is that Austin is like an oasis in a desert called Texas with you know who as governor. All sorts of miserable things happen in other parts of the state but Austin, with UT right there, is a runner/bicyclist/foodie heaven. They have more food trucks serving more kinds of food in more vacant lots than any place I have ever seen. And it is good food. On the other hand,(and perhaps I am prone to hyperbole) but in 5 of the 6 restaurants we were in I was the oldest by at least 20 years--and Barbara and I might have been the onliest people with no tats. I will end this section with the important point. Anna is great and quite settled in what with her new car and great apartment. Austin also has a cool movie theatre which serves food at your seat and has the best previews and other preshow shorts that I have ever seen.
ONWARD BUT NOT NECESSARILY UPWARD:
Just finished my first novel about Finland--specifically happening in the cities of Helsinki and Turku. Author's last name is Wagner. Not great but it was good and it does allow me to receive the gold medal for completing the Scandinavian cycle. I am now onto a competitor of Stieg Larsson (thanks to Joan Y.)--a couple who refer to themselves as Lars Kepler and write mysteries about Sweden. The first one I read was terrific.
An ugly week for Obamacare. I have been warned not to take the questions by the justices too seriously but Jeffrey Toobin(who I really like)--Jeffrey apparently does take them seriously and he is seriously worried that the whole thing will be tossed. Not sure what this means politically. But I am sure of the following--at least two pieces of that bill are in place. One allows young adults up to the age of 26 to stay on their parents insurance and the other protects people who have pre- existing conditions. If either of those get tossed, there will be a lot of so called "main street" people who may finally understand what the fuss is all about. And no, Obama is not responsible for the price of gas and those sucky Republicans better watch out because that shit won't stick.
Speaking of Republicans. Santorum can continue to kick and scream but the numbers don't seem to work for him. I think Romney is a tough opponent for Obama but I think he is almost tougher for some of the Conservatives to accept. Will be interesting as we get closer to November.
The death of that young person (Trayvon) in Florida is horrid but what can one expect from that state which more and more is a creation of very conservative forces. I find it subtly ironic that someone named Zimmerman (sounds like a member of my tribe but I'm not sure)is Hispanic. In the mid 60's when I left Miami, tensions were already surfacing between the Hispanic (mainly Cuban at that point) and African American communities. Now 50 years later we have this.
I almost feel like telling Karzai ok we are leaving. Since all he does is steal money we give his country and complain about our troops--maybe we should just say: "you know, you are right, we are leaving". Too many deaths on behalf of a totally inept and corrupt government.
That Rutgers kid who used spyware to look in in on his gay roommate--that kid should get locked up for a while. Yet another child of immigrants who is totally intolerant of the people who are different even though HE IS DIFFERENT. Get it, sucker?
So, more questions about those pesky bicyclists. What is the point of having a bike lane if motorized scooters use it to bypass all of us. I almost clobbered one which
was in that bike lane--are they allowed? And what is your position about the following--young folks on bikes with baskets in the front and those old fashioned horns that you squeeze? Kind of too foo foo for me--kind of like that bike in ET--they are for 10 year olds; not adults with beards.
SPORTS TALK
So, since I declared both the Bruins and the Celtics to be on life support, they of course have both come back and both are playing very well. Still think neither wins it all but am starting to think the Bruins will get further than then Celts. Celtics play the Heat today in Boston--should be interesting.
Too bad for the Saints. I already thought some of the NFL players were thuggish (ever listen to James Harrison of the Steelers?)--and this just institutionalizes it. Payton actually should be in jail with his team and if he were the CEO of a corporation, he would be.
Then we have this: A church in Denver announced they were "mourning" the trade of Tim Tebow to the Jets. How fucked up is that. And how do you think his religiosity will play in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Totally screwed up my NCAA brackets though I do have Kentucky which was a no brainer. I will say Michigan specifically and the Big 10 generally should be embarrassed at their failures.
That's about it.
Sayonara
Friday, March 16, 2012
SO MUCH TO SAY/WHERE TO START?
I have frequently mentioned my High School Latin teacher, Mrs. Reynolds. I learned the word "errata" from her--it more or less means mistakes as in oops I made one in my last post. Seems the conference held at Harvard only focused on the Palestinian state and not on a two state solution. An astute and erudite reader called me on that. But now I at least know he reads this shit.
Welcome to Wolf and not Blitzer who is one of the worst blatherers in the world. Wolf is a Rabbi who was on the trip to Cuba and has "blessed" me (get it?) with his readership. We need more readers on the "right" coast to counter what has become an increasing tilt to the left. Also want to thank John and Phyllis for getting me lists of Finnish mystery writers. Just need to select one now. Meanwhile, I have a new Swedish mystery by a person described as being as good as Stieg Larson.
Spent time in Philadelphia at the end of February with the Helmlings and their construction crew. Doing a bit of wall demolition they are amidst an already hectic life. The kids are great but truly I slept for 3 hours or so on the train ride home. To quote Babs--"There is a reason young people have kids". Then next week, we are off for our first visit to the Longhorn state to visit Anna. Right now she is in the middle of their South by Southwest festival but she missed seeing BRUCE who gave the keynote address. Anna has promised that I will get an audience with Rick Perry--I look forward to it.
Speaking of BRUCE, I love his new CD which is more than partially dedicated to Clarence Clemons. It was done without the E Street Band and is a lot like the Seeger sessions plus full of very sharp social/political criticisms. Also, saw a group called the Carolina Chocolate Drops and guess what--chocolate refers to their skin color--who knew. All acoustic with a heavy emphasis on the revival of old time banjo songs sung by slaves and others from the mid 1800's to the early 1900's. They were terrific. Bought one of their CD's already.
"Game Change" was just on HBO and is a behind the scenes look at the McCain/Palin campaign. Now of course there is a big debate about its accuracy (much of it coming from Sarah and I don't blame her considering how she comes off). But if only 50% is true, then she is dumber than we thought and it is soooo scary to think she could have been Veep for a guy older than me.
Continuing with this culture stuff--Jon Stewart continues to do two things. The first is that he is artful at his critiques. Not just of people like Rush (who he really blew out of the water over that student's contraception testimony)--but over failings of Obama. But he saves his best for Fox News and the talking heads over there. Second, he also must mention at least once a show his religion--he is a member of my tribe and I have never seen this kind of humor before. He had an interchange with Rachael Weisz (an actress I am not sure I know) about hamentashen that was hysterical. Do they represent Hamen's ear or his nose and if his nose, what does that mean about the stereotype about Jewish noses. I was on the floor and, as a friend used to say, I practically peed in my pants.
Then there is Doonesbury starting on 3/12 and continuing today. He is all over Rick Perry and the restrictive laws regarding abortions in Texas. So sharp and so on target. Remember he has been doing this for over 40 years and it continues to be timely, funny, and awfully pessimistic/sad at the same time.
Now that a Rabbi is on board, we are going to discuss my synagogue. I am 95% retired and a lot of people (not my readers of course) think that means I sit around in a blissed out state totally relaxed and in my own stress free world. NOT. Any- how, I enjoy going to Temple about 2 or 3 times a month and kind of just commune with whoever is up there in the sky listening or perhaps not listening. Temple Israel to be fair tries to be as inclusive as possible and tries also to be as flexible as possible with their liturgy in order (among other things) to entice new members--the kind who might object rather strongly to some of the more orthodox values. But last Friday I just about exploded (not a big surprise). People bring coffee in with snacks as if it were the neighborhood Starbucks. People clap and need to be told when not to. People walk out in the midst of prayers (how many times have I said midst so far?) and/or when the ark is open. Then a group of women (sorry but there were no men) did a dance performance as a prelude to the mourner's prayer. And they stunk and they danced in the aisles during he service and they sat in their Buddha poses during the service and they wore long red thingys with black scarves draped on their heads--so I was reminded more of Afghan women than Jews. I wanted to run out but I knew one of the people and being a great humanitarian, I stayed and am now trying to cancel my membership. I just want to "do my hour" in peace with some songs I know from childhood which carry the same tune and even hear a few rabbinic words. If I want dance I go to Jacob's Pillow or the ICA. Enough.
There was an ad on TV this week that more or less said something like: "the gang went out for pizza and beer". They were not talking about the Crips or the Bloods. They were talking about the 1950's when presumably you went out with friends who were your gang. This craze for "everything was better back then" is now seeping into everyday life and not just coming out of Ric Santorum's medieval head and mouth.
Then there is Scott Brown speaking of medieval. He is running ads which tout his interest in and knowledge of sports--skipping over all the people (mostly of the female variety) who are not interested and focusing instead on us guys and mainly us guys who are younger. The ads want you to vote for him not on any issues but because it is kind of a guy thing.
SPORTS TALK
So the Bruins are dying and it is clear that Chara and Thomas (as I said before) are not having the massive seasons they had last year. And injuries don't help. The Celtics will likely make the playoffs but having two guys out with heart problems probably dooms them (along with age) to an early exit. Not the guys; the team.
But we do have women's hockey. I saw the BU women play a game the other night on tv. They have already been eliminated from post season play. But since there is no checking, it is all about skating, passing, and shooting. It was wonderful and I am sure it is not just the BU women. This is a direct result of Title IX.
An incredible rumor. Asked someone who knows about golf if Tiger was back. He said yes but the other guys have caught him. Then he added this gem--Tiger is HIV positive and that is the real reason he is playing lousy. Oh my--my mouth fell open. What if it is true? It boggles the mind.
Sorry for the length.
Sayonara.
Welcome to Wolf and not Blitzer who is one of the worst blatherers in the world. Wolf is a Rabbi who was on the trip to Cuba and has "blessed" me (get it?) with his readership. We need more readers on the "right" coast to counter what has become an increasing tilt to the left. Also want to thank John and Phyllis for getting me lists of Finnish mystery writers. Just need to select one now. Meanwhile, I have a new Swedish mystery by a person described as being as good as Stieg Larson.
Spent time in Philadelphia at the end of February with the Helmlings and their construction crew. Doing a bit of wall demolition they are amidst an already hectic life. The kids are great but truly I slept for 3 hours or so on the train ride home. To quote Babs--"There is a reason young people have kids". Then next week, we are off for our first visit to the Longhorn state to visit Anna. Right now she is in the middle of their South by Southwest festival but she missed seeing BRUCE who gave the keynote address. Anna has promised that I will get an audience with Rick Perry--I look forward to it.
Speaking of BRUCE, I love his new CD which is more than partially dedicated to Clarence Clemons. It was done without the E Street Band and is a lot like the Seeger sessions plus full of very sharp social/political criticisms. Also, saw a group called the Carolina Chocolate Drops and guess what--chocolate refers to their skin color--who knew. All acoustic with a heavy emphasis on the revival of old time banjo songs sung by slaves and others from the mid 1800's to the early 1900's. They were terrific. Bought one of their CD's already.
"Game Change" was just on HBO and is a behind the scenes look at the McCain/Palin campaign. Now of course there is a big debate about its accuracy (much of it coming from Sarah and I don't blame her considering how she comes off). But if only 50% is true, then she is dumber than we thought and it is soooo scary to think she could have been Veep for a guy older than me.
Continuing with this culture stuff--Jon Stewart continues to do two things. The first is that he is artful at his critiques. Not just of people like Rush (who he really blew out of the water over that student's contraception testimony)--but over failings of Obama. But he saves his best for Fox News and the talking heads over there. Second, he also must mention at least once a show his religion--he is a member of my tribe and I have never seen this kind of humor before. He had an interchange with Rachael Weisz (an actress I am not sure I know) about hamentashen that was hysterical. Do they represent Hamen's ear or his nose and if his nose, what does that mean about the stereotype about Jewish noses. I was on the floor and, as a friend used to say, I practically peed in my pants.
Then there is Doonesbury starting on 3/12 and continuing today. He is all over Rick Perry and the restrictive laws regarding abortions in Texas. So sharp and so on target. Remember he has been doing this for over 40 years and it continues to be timely, funny, and awfully pessimistic/sad at the same time.
Now that a Rabbi is on board, we are going to discuss my synagogue. I am 95% retired and a lot of people (not my readers of course) think that means I sit around in a blissed out state totally relaxed and in my own stress free world. NOT. Any- how, I enjoy going to Temple about 2 or 3 times a month and kind of just commune with whoever is up there in the sky listening or perhaps not listening. Temple Israel to be fair tries to be as inclusive as possible and tries also to be as flexible as possible with their liturgy in order (among other things) to entice new members--the kind who might object rather strongly to some of the more orthodox values. But last Friday I just about exploded (not a big surprise). People bring coffee in with snacks as if it were the neighborhood Starbucks. People clap and need to be told when not to. People walk out in the midst of prayers (how many times have I said midst so far?) and/or when the ark is open. Then a group of women (sorry but there were no men) did a dance performance as a prelude to the mourner's prayer. And they stunk and they danced in the aisles during he service and they sat in their Buddha poses during the service and they wore long red thingys with black scarves draped on their heads--so I was reminded more of Afghan women than Jews. I wanted to run out but I knew one of the people and being a great humanitarian, I stayed and am now trying to cancel my membership. I just want to "do my hour" in peace with some songs I know from childhood which carry the same tune and even hear a few rabbinic words. If I want dance I go to Jacob's Pillow or the ICA. Enough.
There was an ad on TV this week that more or less said something like: "the gang went out for pizza and beer". They were not talking about the Crips or the Bloods. They were talking about the 1950's when presumably you went out with friends who were your gang. This craze for "everything was better back then" is now seeping into everyday life and not just coming out of Ric Santorum's medieval head and mouth.
Then there is Scott Brown speaking of medieval. He is running ads which tout his interest in and knowledge of sports--skipping over all the people (mostly of the female variety) who are not interested and focusing instead on us guys and mainly us guys who are younger. The ads want you to vote for him not on any issues but because it is kind of a guy thing.
SPORTS TALK
So the Bruins are dying and it is clear that Chara and Thomas (as I said before) are not having the massive seasons they had last year. And injuries don't help. The Celtics will likely make the playoffs but having two guys out with heart problems probably dooms them (along with age) to an early exit. Not the guys; the team.
But we do have women's hockey. I saw the BU women play a game the other night on tv. They have already been eliminated from post season play. But since there is no checking, it is all about skating, passing, and shooting. It was wonderful and I am sure it is not just the BU women. This is a direct result of Title IX.
An incredible rumor. Asked someone who knows about golf if Tiger was back. He said yes but the other guys have caught him. Then he added this gem--Tiger is HIV positive and that is the real reason he is playing lousy. Oh my--my mouth fell open. What if it is true? It boggles the mind.
Sorry for the length.
Sayonara.
Friday, March 2, 2012
CALLING ALL FINNISH MYSTERY WRITERS
I am one Northern European mystery writer short of a clean swweep. Except for Finland, but including Russia, I have read mystery writers from every country in the north of Europe--I have even dipped down to Scotland and England and reached out to Iceland. I need to complete this absolute tour de force. So if any of you kind readers can identify a Finnish mystery writer, I would be most appreciative.
We now have a story from Martha's Vineyard as a follow up to the story of the Brookline person fearful of letting her dogs out because of WOLVES. There is apparently a proposal to build the first ever rotary on the Vineyard. And surprise--The Vineyarders are none too happy. Probably a lot of us who live with really big rotaries will invade just to see it and disrupt their little idyllic life. Protests are sweeping the island. After all, it is a quality of life issue in a neck to neck competition with dogs running wild. Cmon--shouldn't, they be more worried about Ric Santorum and his medieval ideas?
Speaking of politics, that other neanderthal (and awful example of diet, Chris Christie, the fine governor of Susan and Neal) is angry at Warren Buffet and also vetoed the same sex legislation. He has had a great week. He is tired of Buffet and Buffets secretary and their taxes and wants Buffet to just shut up. I would guess that the Gay and Lesbian residents of NJ would like the guv to shut up as well.
In the blood is thicker than water category, we have Debbi Wasserman-Shultz, the Congresswoman from South Florida, who shares a religious affiliation with my main man Eric Cantor (he who is a member of my tribe). Now she is quite liberal but is proud to say that on Israel they are both quite close and quite supportive. Time to tell some of these "Israel is never wrong people" that some of us actually believe in a two state solution and their invectives are counter productive. And we can still believe in the survival of Israel.
And of course Alan Dershowitz is in high dither (he is always in some sort of dither-this one just happens to be high) because a conference at Harvard about a two state solution will be held and because of an ad in the NY Times supporting peace in the Middle East attacked groups he is a member of. Tough shit for Alan who I heard bathes nude on guess which island? The Vineyahd of course. Hope he has shorts on when he hits that rotary.
Folks it is time to start reading Nate Silver whose blog I think must have been bought up by the NY Times. This is the guy in 2008 who picked every single Senate and House seat as well as the presidential race. He is terrific and I have no clue how he figures these things out but it is all about NUMBERS!! Recently, he correlated positive economic news with Obama going head to head with the Republican candidates. He wins all possibilities with the closest being Romney--no surprise there since the Mitter is, after all, going to bring a business model to White House and make sure more of a burden falls on those less able to afford it.
A question: don't cows eat grass? perhaps they also eat hay which is kind of grassy. If they do, why is a restaurant opening up in the hood called "grass fed" and featuring burgers. Cows are not carnivores--I mean they don't eat other cows and they seem just to graze, eat, and shit. What am I missing?
Read Boomerang by Michael Lewis--he of Moneyball. He visited Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Germany, and then the good old US and wrote about their economic problems. If not for how devastating things are in places like Ireland, Greece, and Iceland, it was almost funny. In any event it was excellent and I will read anything he writes. By the way, Greece is way bad and no one likes the Germans.
Shameless continues to be my number one tv show but this new HBO program about horse racing (Luck) is a close second. Dustin Hoffman and William Macy are both wonderful.
Two final thoughts: I generally just stay away from Rush Limbaugh but he outdid himself this week calling that law student a "whore" for supporting her right to get contraceptives covered. And the judge in Montana sending along racist email about Obama? You don't think there is an audience for Mr. Santorum? One can only get very chilled at some of the language coming out of the mouths of what passes for conservative leaders. Some still wondering if he is a citizen.
SPORTS TALK
So Burnett gets traded to the National League (thank god) and has to practice bunting--bingo, he bunts one off his eye, requires surgery, and is now out for 3 months. Probably will get some more tatts. I don't want anyone to get injured but in his case I'm not so sure.
Chara is not as overwhelming as he was last year and Tim Thomas (over and above his lunatic politics)is not nearly as effective. Seeing them against the Rangers made it clear that they are not up to that level and have much work to do.
I think what I thought last time about the Celtics--they are old and mediocre and now have all these trade rumors to contend with. Not a good sign.
BTW, why haven't the Pats signed Welker. Is Belichik, the mystery man, up to something?
Happy Purim/Sayonara.
We now have a story from Martha's Vineyard as a follow up to the story of the Brookline person fearful of letting her dogs out because of WOLVES. There is apparently a proposal to build the first ever rotary on the Vineyard. And surprise--The Vineyarders are none too happy. Probably a lot of us who live with really big rotaries will invade just to see it and disrupt their little idyllic life. Protests are sweeping the island. After all, it is a quality of life issue in a neck to neck competition with dogs running wild. Cmon--shouldn't, they be more worried about Ric Santorum and his medieval ideas?
Speaking of politics, that other neanderthal (and awful example of diet, Chris Christie, the fine governor of Susan and Neal) is angry at Warren Buffet and also vetoed the same sex legislation. He has had a great week. He is tired of Buffet and Buffets secretary and their taxes and wants Buffet to just shut up. I would guess that the Gay and Lesbian residents of NJ would like the guv to shut up as well.
In the blood is thicker than water category, we have Debbi Wasserman-Shultz, the Congresswoman from South Florida, who shares a religious affiliation with my main man Eric Cantor (he who is a member of my tribe). Now she is quite liberal but is proud to say that on Israel they are both quite close and quite supportive. Time to tell some of these "Israel is never wrong people" that some of us actually believe in a two state solution and their invectives are counter productive. And we can still believe in the survival of Israel.
And of course Alan Dershowitz is in high dither (he is always in some sort of dither-this one just happens to be high) because a conference at Harvard about a two state solution will be held and because of an ad in the NY Times supporting peace in the Middle East attacked groups he is a member of. Tough shit for Alan who I heard bathes nude on guess which island? The Vineyahd of course. Hope he has shorts on when he hits that rotary.
Folks it is time to start reading Nate Silver whose blog I think must have been bought up by the NY Times. This is the guy in 2008 who picked every single Senate and House seat as well as the presidential race. He is terrific and I have no clue how he figures these things out but it is all about NUMBERS!! Recently, he correlated positive economic news with Obama going head to head with the Republican candidates. He wins all possibilities with the closest being Romney--no surprise there since the Mitter is, after all, going to bring a business model to White House and make sure more of a burden falls on those less able to afford it.
A question: don't cows eat grass? perhaps they also eat hay which is kind of grassy. If they do, why is a restaurant opening up in the hood called "grass fed" and featuring burgers. Cows are not carnivores--I mean they don't eat other cows and they seem just to graze, eat, and shit. What am I missing?
Read Boomerang by Michael Lewis--he of Moneyball. He visited Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Germany, and then the good old US and wrote about their economic problems. If not for how devastating things are in places like Ireland, Greece, and Iceland, it was almost funny. In any event it was excellent and I will read anything he writes. By the way, Greece is way bad and no one likes the Germans.
Shameless continues to be my number one tv show but this new HBO program about horse racing (Luck) is a close second. Dustin Hoffman and William Macy are both wonderful.
Two final thoughts: I generally just stay away from Rush Limbaugh but he outdid himself this week calling that law student a "whore" for supporting her right to get contraceptives covered. And the judge in Montana sending along racist email about Obama? You don't think there is an audience for Mr. Santorum? One can only get very chilled at some of the language coming out of the mouths of what passes for conservative leaders. Some still wondering if he is a citizen.
SPORTS TALK
So Burnett gets traded to the National League (thank god) and has to practice bunting--bingo, he bunts one off his eye, requires surgery, and is now out for 3 months. Probably will get some more tatts. I don't want anyone to get injured but in his case I'm not so sure.
Chara is not as overwhelming as he was last year and Tim Thomas (over and above his lunatic politics)is not nearly as effective. Seeing them against the Rangers made it clear that they are not up to that level and have much work to do.
I think what I thought last time about the Celtics--they are old and mediocre and now have all these trade rumors to contend with. Not a good sign.
BTW, why haven't the Pats signed Welker. Is Belichik, the mystery man, up to something?
Happy Purim/Sayonara.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
FURTHER THOUGHTS ON CUBA AND OTHER ITEMS OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE TO MANKIND
On the other hand, being a fine humanitarian, let me welcome Ilene, Ashok, and Steve to my readership. I am rapidly approaching the circulation of the JP Gazette. Onward.
I still am unable to come up with a coherent and cohesive unraveling of what we experienced in Cuba. I do continue to have "flashbacks" of things that left me either amazed, bewildered, or both. Here are a few more:
--The old cars were spectacular especially the restored ones. There are no new
cars except rentals. Cubans who own cars only have old ones and there are no
dealerships. No ladas from Russia either. Since the environment is way down on
list of priorities, it is no surprise that these old cars belch smoke and pollute
the air.
--The Prado is kind of like the mall on Comm. Ave. in Boston. A street bisected by
a pedestrian mall with benches.
--The Malecon is very special. It is kind of like Storrow Drive with too many cars
and runs right next to the Atlantic. It runs all along the water for miles
encircling the city and full of fishermen (no, did not see any fisherwomen) who
seem not to catch anything. And then with a great imagination, you can see the
end of Duval Street in Key West with the buoy marking the Southernmost point
in the U.S. So enticing.
--The Hotel National was the symbolic roost of Batista, all sorts of celebs, and
a casino. It overlooks the Malecon and the Atlantic. The grounds are beautiful
and the lobby has been meticulously restored. Not sure about the rooms.
--In the central park, there is a special area where men (again, did not see any
women) debate baseball--and not just Cuban baseball but Estados Unidos beisball
which they are very up on.
--There is much more.
My government at work: Medicare sent me an email reminding me that I was due for a wellness check up which is totally reimbursed. It remains beyond my comprehension why Obamacare did not just piggyback onto Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA. In any case, I love my Medicare even though I still don't understand the donut business.
As a reminder for all of you, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is older than me and much sicker. Imagine Ric Santorum or even Romney getting a shot at a Supreme Court seat--it boggles the mind. Santorum has been more and more out of control since his recent victories. Jon Stewart absolutely thrashed him last night. Now Barbara Berns is scared of Santorum because she believes much of America will vote for him. I am more afraid of Romney believing (atypical for me) he is a bigger threat to Obama. All of them, to a bigger or smaller extent, all appeal to the baser instincts of people. UGH.
When I go to synagogue and quietly/silently pray, I have the following sacrilegious thought--Eric Cantor could also be in a synagogue praying for the Israelis to attack Iran. He has had a great week urging Obama to go after Iranians sand bashing his budget as well. Joe Lieberman is in that boat too--both indebted deeply to the alte kakers in AIPAC. Yet there I am in the House of the Lord thinking these evil thoughts. I wish I could say shame on me but I am thinking shame on them.
Then there are these two semi-related items: The Susan Komen people backed down in the face of a semi-populist uprising and an infusion of dollars to Planned Parenthood. And that right wing VP hit the bricks. No wonder she could not even win the Governorship in Georgia. Good for Bloomberg also. The related piece is the Archiocese feeling it was not ok to force them to cover contraception in insurance policies for their employees. These are the same folks that brought us the sexual abuse of children by priests. So be careful of what they want. Obama forges some sort of compromise and of course gets killed for it by the right. I suggest that the Archdiocesan programs (charities/hospitals) only hire people who agree with them philosophically about contraception. Then we will see what they do for staff.
Finally, the Globe had an article focusing on a former member of the Brookline
School Committee. It was an article about coyotes and her more or less accurate quote was: "sending my dogs out in the yard is like capital punishment". What can a person say except dogs are not people. Hello, anyone home?
SPORTS TALK
Oh my, 3 drops by Welker, Branch, and Hernandez. And the Gronk was severely injured and lied to us all for 2 weeks. Some of you smarties are gonna say you knew how bad he was hurt but that is beside the point. Belichik lies when it is convenient and this was a biggy. Brady was mediocre for half the game (first and fourth quarters). And they still could have won.
Tim Thomas is a right wing (in a political not hockey sense) asshole and now he is starting to play like a mediocre asshole. They play the Rangers tonight and need him to play a big game.
The Celtics continue to look old and Rondo continues to either play superbly or look totally disinterested. Meanwhile they continue to have injuries.
And to repeat one of my own self invented mantras: I don't care about Spring training. Talk to me about baseball on or after 7/4.
Happy V day to all of you readers and especially to Anna, Jessica, Barbara, Lilli, Oliver, and Steffen.
Sayonara.
I still am unable to come up with a coherent and cohesive unraveling of what we experienced in Cuba. I do continue to have "flashbacks" of things that left me either amazed, bewildered, or both. Here are a few more:
--The old cars were spectacular especially the restored ones. There are no new
cars except rentals. Cubans who own cars only have old ones and there are no
dealerships. No ladas from Russia either. Since the environment is way down on
list of priorities, it is no surprise that these old cars belch smoke and pollute
the air.
--The Prado is kind of like the mall on Comm. Ave. in Boston. A street bisected by
a pedestrian mall with benches.
--The Malecon is very special. It is kind of like Storrow Drive with too many cars
and runs right next to the Atlantic. It runs all along the water for miles
encircling the city and full of fishermen (no, did not see any fisherwomen) who
seem not to catch anything. And then with a great imagination, you can see the
end of Duval Street in Key West with the buoy marking the Southernmost point
in the U.S. So enticing.
--The Hotel National was the symbolic roost of Batista, all sorts of celebs, and
a casino. It overlooks the Malecon and the Atlantic. The grounds are beautiful
and the lobby has been meticulously restored. Not sure about the rooms.
--In the central park, there is a special area where men (again, did not see any
women) debate baseball--and not just Cuban baseball but Estados Unidos beisball
which they are very up on.
--There is much more.
My government at work: Medicare sent me an email reminding me that I was due for a wellness check up which is totally reimbursed. It remains beyond my comprehension why Obamacare did not just piggyback onto Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA. In any case, I love my Medicare even though I still don't understand the donut business.
As a reminder for all of you, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is older than me and much sicker. Imagine Ric Santorum or even Romney getting a shot at a Supreme Court seat--it boggles the mind. Santorum has been more and more out of control since his recent victories. Jon Stewart absolutely thrashed him last night. Now Barbara Berns is scared of Santorum because she believes much of America will vote for him. I am more afraid of Romney believing (atypical for me) he is a bigger threat to Obama. All of them, to a bigger or smaller extent, all appeal to the baser instincts of people. UGH.
When I go to synagogue and quietly/silently pray, I have the following sacrilegious thought--Eric Cantor could also be in a synagogue praying for the Israelis to attack Iran. He has had a great week urging Obama to go after Iranians sand bashing his budget as well. Joe Lieberman is in that boat too--both indebted deeply to the alte kakers in AIPAC. Yet there I am in the House of the Lord thinking these evil thoughts. I wish I could say shame on me but I am thinking shame on them.
Then there are these two semi-related items: The Susan Komen people backed down in the face of a semi-populist uprising and an infusion of dollars to Planned Parenthood. And that right wing VP hit the bricks. No wonder she could not even win the Governorship in Georgia. Good for Bloomberg also. The related piece is the Archiocese feeling it was not ok to force them to cover contraception in insurance policies for their employees. These are the same folks that brought us the sexual abuse of children by priests. So be careful of what they want. Obama forges some sort of compromise and of course gets killed for it by the right. I suggest that the Archdiocesan programs (charities/hospitals) only hire people who agree with them philosophically about contraception. Then we will see what they do for staff.
Finally, the Globe had an article focusing on a former member of the Brookline
School Committee. It was an article about coyotes and her more or less accurate quote was: "sending my dogs out in the yard is like capital punishment". What can a person say except dogs are not people. Hello, anyone home?
SPORTS TALK
Oh my, 3 drops by Welker, Branch, and Hernandez. And the Gronk was severely injured and lied to us all for 2 weeks. Some of you smarties are gonna say you knew how bad he was hurt but that is beside the point. Belichik lies when it is convenient and this was a biggy. Brady was mediocre for half the game (first and fourth quarters). And they still could have won.
Tim Thomas is a right wing (in a political not hockey sense) asshole and now he is starting to play like a mediocre asshole. They play the Rangers tonight and need him to play a big game.
The Celtics continue to look old and Rondo continues to either play superbly or look totally disinterested. Meanwhile they continue to have injuries.
And to repeat one of my own self invented mantras: I don't care about Spring training. Talk to me about baseball on or after 7/4.
Happy V day to all of you readers and especially to Anna, Jessica, Barbara, Lilli, Oliver, and Steffen.
Sayonara.
Monday, January 30, 2012
SOCIALISMO O MUERTA
No billboards in Cuba advertising anything. But much graffiti and signs "advertising" the Revolucion. I have been trying in the week we have been back to string together a paragraph or two which would make sense of the time we spent there. But I failed at that and ended up with the anecdotes that follow:
Don't go to Cuba for the food. Ours sucked.
There are two forms of currency. One used by the touristas called CUC's. The other used by residents of the island called pesos. Pesos would not have gotten you into any of our hotels. This differentiation really separates the haves (that would be us) from the have nots (that would be most of the rest of the Cubans).
I liked the people on the tour more than I expected. I was my usual warm, social, humanitarian self and got along famously. (An aside: This blog is now officially transcontinental. A western outpost has been established in Berkeley thanks to Becky. So a welcome to her.) Even the bus rides were comfy.
We had a terrific tour leader from SF and a more than terrific tour guide from Havana who really shared all sorts of information and factoids.
Che's picture is all over the place partly because Fidel is still alive and partly due to Che's continuing magnetism.
In some of the medium sized cities (Cienfuegos for example), taxi service is provided by donkey pulled carts--which have cart stands all over.
There were 16,000 Jews on the island before Castro and there are now 1600--mostly in Havana but also in scattered outposts across the island. Leave it to members of my tribe--Cubans continue to separate the Ashkenazim Jews (from Eastern Europe) from the Sephardi Jews (from southern Europe and Northern Africa). So, in Havana, each has its own synagogue. The "synagogue" in Cienfuegos is in the living room of the woman who is the leader of that city's Jewish community. There is a Jewish community center in Havana whose leader is also the leader of the island's entire Jewish community--she is a fireball of a lady who also happened to leave us so she could meet with Senator Durbin.
Cubans hate the older generation of exiles in Miami but are cautiously optimistic about the younger Cubans in Miami some of whom are very interested in their own genealogy and would like to at least visit.
Our hotel had CNN in English and I watched part of the Pats game on ESPN--this despite the fact that those are not available to your average citizen. Ads were all for US companies. No Internet service for the average Cuban except within the island.
Went to a terrific ballet performance of the national ballet company.
They have aquaculture farms for shrimp and fish--and across the street there are shacks with no plumbing or electricity and folks riding their mules to other little villages.
By the way, the heading way back up on means Socialism or Death--and, at this point, I am voting for none of the above or abstaining.
There is much more to say but in the end I deeply admired the resiliency of the Jewish population--we went to Friday night services lead by a trio of 20 year olds. No rabbis on the island. A Chilean rabbi visits 3 times a year and they schedule bar/bat mitzvahs, bris', and weddings for those times. He also tutors the young people which allows them to lead the services--Friday nights, Saturday mornings, and all holidays. At the end of the service, the youngsters in the shul began to sing--6and 7 year olds--very moving. Also admire how difficult life is for the mainstream Cuban. Housing is especially in bad shape in the centre of the city.
Three factoids more. Fidel failed on his first effort at an uprising and escaped back to Mexico--Che joined him at that point and he returned successfully. I did smoke a Cuban cigar and only drank 7 year old Cuban dark rum on ice--which costs about 3 bucks. Muy bueno.
More later/Moving on.
Anyone notice Eric Cantor (he who is a member of my tribe) at the State of the Union speech? A fucking sourpuss not even clapping at the non controversial things.
No one should doubt that the assassinations hitting in Iran are connected to Israel and that our government knows about them. Speaking of which two depressing articles in yesterday's Times. In the Magazine, a Jerusalem based journalist argues that a number of issues are coalescing in the middle east which leads him to predict an Israeli attack on Iran in 2012. Then that fatso Sheldon Adelson (he who is yet another member of my tribe) giving a bazillion dollars to Gingrich--for business reasons and for his staunch support of Israel. Adelson is one of the bright light AIPAC folks and the one who argues that the Palestinians are not really a "people". Very unpleasant news.
Did not even try for Bruce tickets but Gary did send me a you tube recording of a cut from his new album. I liked it and am hoping I can score a ticket on ebay for his Boston concert.
Congratulations to Toby, Tessa, and the grandparents on the birth of Asher up there in the Great White north.
SPORTS TALK
Tim Thomas is a right wing Ron Paul tea bag adherent and an asshole. But he can play goal like a madman. I'm not sure where to go with this but do believe if I knew the political beliefs of all my sports faves, I would puke.
The Pats did luck out against the Ravens but as they say, the bottom line is that they won. The Jints are much tougher because their QB is better. Brady really has to be on and the defense at least has to stop the run and let Eli throw it 60 times.
My big question is what kind of food to have on hand given my limited dietary repertoire. There will be single malt scotch and no sound.
That's it.
Sayonara
Don't go to Cuba for the food. Ours sucked.
There are two forms of currency. One used by the touristas called CUC's. The other used by residents of the island called pesos. Pesos would not have gotten you into any of our hotels. This differentiation really separates the haves (that would be us) from the have nots (that would be most of the rest of the Cubans).
I liked the people on the tour more than I expected. I was my usual warm, social, humanitarian self and got along famously. (An aside: This blog is now officially transcontinental. A western outpost has been established in Berkeley thanks to Becky. So a welcome to her.) Even the bus rides were comfy.
We had a terrific tour leader from SF and a more than terrific tour guide from Havana who really shared all sorts of information and factoids.
Che's picture is all over the place partly because Fidel is still alive and partly due to Che's continuing magnetism.
In some of the medium sized cities (Cienfuegos for example), taxi service is provided by donkey pulled carts--which have cart stands all over.
There were 16,000 Jews on the island before Castro and there are now 1600--mostly in Havana but also in scattered outposts across the island. Leave it to members of my tribe--Cubans continue to separate the Ashkenazim Jews (from Eastern Europe) from the Sephardi Jews (from southern Europe and Northern Africa). So, in Havana, each has its own synagogue. The "synagogue" in Cienfuegos is in the living room of the woman who is the leader of that city's Jewish community. There is a Jewish community center in Havana whose leader is also the leader of the island's entire Jewish community--she is a fireball of a lady who also happened to leave us so she could meet with Senator Durbin.
Cubans hate the older generation of exiles in Miami but are cautiously optimistic about the younger Cubans in Miami some of whom are very interested in their own genealogy and would like to at least visit.
Our hotel had CNN in English and I watched part of the Pats game on ESPN--this despite the fact that those are not available to your average citizen. Ads were all for US companies. No Internet service for the average Cuban except within the island.
Went to a terrific ballet performance of the national ballet company.
They have aquaculture farms for shrimp and fish--and across the street there are shacks with no plumbing or electricity and folks riding their mules to other little villages.
By the way, the heading way back up on means Socialism or Death--and, at this point, I am voting for none of the above or abstaining.
There is much more to say but in the end I deeply admired the resiliency of the Jewish population--we went to Friday night services lead by a trio of 20 year olds. No rabbis on the island. A Chilean rabbi visits 3 times a year and they schedule bar/bat mitzvahs, bris', and weddings for those times. He also tutors the young people which allows them to lead the services--Friday nights, Saturday mornings, and all holidays. At the end of the service, the youngsters in the shul began to sing--6and 7 year olds--very moving. Also admire how difficult life is for the mainstream Cuban. Housing is especially in bad shape in the centre of the city.
Three factoids more. Fidel failed on his first effort at an uprising and escaped back to Mexico--Che joined him at that point and he returned successfully. I did smoke a Cuban cigar and only drank 7 year old Cuban dark rum on ice--which costs about 3 bucks. Muy bueno.
More later/Moving on.
Anyone notice Eric Cantor (he who is a member of my tribe) at the State of the Union speech? A fucking sourpuss not even clapping at the non controversial things.
No one should doubt that the assassinations hitting in Iran are connected to Israel and that our government knows about them. Speaking of which two depressing articles in yesterday's Times. In the Magazine, a Jerusalem based journalist argues that a number of issues are coalescing in the middle east which leads him to predict an Israeli attack on Iran in 2012. Then that fatso Sheldon Adelson (he who is yet another member of my tribe) giving a bazillion dollars to Gingrich--for business reasons and for his staunch support of Israel. Adelson is one of the bright light AIPAC folks and the one who argues that the Palestinians are not really a "people". Very unpleasant news.
Did not even try for Bruce tickets but Gary did send me a you tube recording of a cut from his new album. I liked it and am hoping I can score a ticket on ebay for his Boston concert.
Congratulations to Toby, Tessa, and the grandparents on the birth of Asher up there in the Great White north.
SPORTS TALK
Tim Thomas is a right wing Ron Paul tea bag adherent and an asshole. But he can play goal like a madman. I'm not sure where to go with this but do believe if I knew the political beliefs of all my sports faves, I would puke.
The Pats did luck out against the Ravens but as they say, the bottom line is that they won. The Jints are much tougher because their QB is better. Brady really has to be on and the defense at least has to stop the run and let Eli throw it 60 times.
My big question is what kind of food to have on hand given my limited dietary repertoire. There will be single malt scotch and no sound.
That's it.
Sayonara
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