THE DONALD WAS RIGHT

The election was rigged. But how was it rigged? Not sure, but there is no way he won. I have asked so many people, did you vote for Trump? The answer was always ,”NO!” So who did cast their vote for him? Actually more people voted for Hillary than Trump. She won the popular vote.

Why did those people who ignored the 70% of lies he told vote for him? Why did they ignore the misogyny , even those that had wives, sisters and daughters? Why did they ignore the antisemitism? Why did they ignore the xenophobia about Hispanics and Asians? Why did they ignore the anti- black sentiments (even African-Americans)? Why was his failures, and there were many, ignored? Why was his dubious business practices ignored? He pays no taxes and is proud of it.

I don’t really have any answers for any of these questions. It defies logic and common sense. I do believe that some people actually had faith in his message. But they were so few and far between, that I have to believe that his messages pierced their psyches where idiotic reasoning resided. He tapped into their hates and prejudices and made it alright to have them. That is scary – frightening, in fact. These are my suppositions, not answers because these suppositions add some terrible thoughts to my mind regarding some people I had admired and respected.

“I could not vote for Hillary!” That was I heard so you voted for the devil incarnate instead? He just tweets, no e-mails. She had 30 more years of experience and understood how the word worked. But you wanted “change” so you replaced her with an idiot. Not even an idiot savant, just plain idiot. Actually, that begs the question, who is the idiot here? Thanks, now he is my idiot president!

I cannot figure this out and I am not alone in that quandary.  He had nothing positive to say – about anything – except himself. I guess people like gloom and doom. When the fact checkers checked he failed at veracity and his lack of any was ignored. “I can’t trust Hillary!” “She lied about her e-mails.” Trump lied about everything! The only time he wasn’t lying is when his mouth was not moving. Or his when his hands were in his pocket!

The military is not depleted. I know he doesn’t know more about ISIS than the generals. I know he does not know all of the trade treaties. I know he has no knowledge of the Iran nuclear deal. Some said he is a voracious reader . How is that possible when he just tweets? And after reading his tweets I see how he has little command of the English language.

It has been reported that 49 million people did not vote.  I always admonish people that did not vote, “Didn’t vote, don’t complain!’ I did vote and I am complaining. It will get worse as time goes on. Based on what I hear about his nominees for positions in his administration, we are in for a rough ride.

With the entire government swaying to the right, they don’t have to rig it, it already is rigged. With a campaign like that who would want to run except for people in need of adoration, power and attention – the wrong people will run as we have seen on the Right.

When Trump reported many years ago, that is he ever ran he would run as a Republican. Why? Because of Fox News. They say anything, lie, distort and demean and their audience eats it up. They believe anything. He got that right, too. He is the world’s biggest and greatest con man. He did a magnificent job conning his supporters.  It was something to behold and it continues on. The establishment he railed against is in the Transition Team. So much for outsiders! Ok, you trump supporters check your wallets and your brains, you have just been picked clean. The Donald was right!

In the words of Vincente Fox , “I am not going to pay for that f----king wall.” The deportation squads reminiscent of Nazi Germany are waiting to be formed. Replacing the AFHCA with something “terrific” is a reality check. For more than 70 years the Republicans offered no health care reforms of their own and now suddenly Trump has something terrific.  He said he knows more about Isis than the Generals. WOW, that is chutzpah. If he is so good at military solutions why was ISIS celebrating his election?

He wants to unite America.  With Steve Bannon? The Alt Right demagogue? The anti -everyone except whites? Ivanka should invite him for Passover, not.

Yes, Trump got it right! They say you can’t bet against him after defeating so many candidates and the former Secretary of State.  I truly believe that the Donald has reached his level of incompetence and the country will pay a price for that. As a relative of mine reminded me recently, you cannot believe anything that he says or his people say.  He is so right. Just today Trump said the transition is going smoothly when the world knows the transition is in chaos.

Hopefully, we will not be screwed over by the Con Man in Chief. Lets’ wait and see but also be vigilant. The person he deports could be you.

That is my take – you decide.

 

Please note that this is my 100^th blog. I would have really loved to write something positive, but the world is becoming a scarier place. He wants to give his kids TOP SECRET clearances. So much for blind trusts. The only trust that was blind was that of his supporters.

 

MUCH ADO ABOUT SOME THINGS - MY BLOGS

This is the 99^th blog that I am publishing. That number astonishes me as a while ago I wrote a blog entitled “CTOS” which stood for I Can’t Think of Shit. Since this is the 99^th offering, I guess there is no Imodium for the brain.

Yesterday, a friend with whom I often, regularly do not agree with, especially when it comes to politics, said to me that he doesn’t read my blog because it is too political. True, I express my thoughts very succinctly and with some basis for why I do think that way. It is OK to disagree with me. In fact at the end of each bog I say “That I My Take You decide.”

One thing comes to mind is that if you don’t agree find out why. I just saw Michael Moore’s “In Trumpland.” That film is a great expression and illustration of divergent views. (Even Trump loved it – not for the content, because his name was in the title). So many times in my life people who knew more than me about an issue convinced me to look at an issue in another way – or re-enforced my reasoning.

I started writing this blog to vent, to get stuff off of my chest.  The fact that this is number 99 blows my mind as I didn’t think I had that much stuff on my chest. So, I tried to categorize my blogs to what I really write about. I put them in three categories although there could be more. I simplified the categories into three areas:

1. Political
2. Personal
3. Travel

In the past 16 years we have had two presidents. One of no ability and one of amazing intellect and a great communicator.  There was and is so much fodder to write about how could I not write about the political scene. Frankly, the election that we are involved in now is ripe for writing. However, of the 99 blogs, only 27% were political.

Daily events generate some much news that it is hard to decide what is worth writing about. Today’s issue evaporates as another open mike recording presents itself. Or an e-mail that has you reading between the lines. So, what is good content? I am at a point now that I cannot listen to the pundits. Kelleyanne is the ultimate blond joke. Mayor Gulliani is the ultimate Italian joke. Are there idiots on the left, sure but they are kept quiet. Ok, so now I have written about them!

However, more fulfilling is the Personal Category. That is 53% of the bogs that I wrote. In the Personal category I could have broken the blogs down even more to Religion, Memories, Family, etc. All of that is included in that Personal blogs.

I wrote one blog of how telephone numbers from the past generate wonderful memories. I actually remembered the numbers and that  too, blows my mind. One of the most read blogs was, “Hi I Am Peggy.”

That was fun to write. I had occasion to talk to “Peggy” yesterday. No, the issue wasn’t resolved he told me to talk to another “Peggy.”

I got nostalgic one February as I pondered the upcoming baseball season and why I always feel good about that. As that was coming to fruition, I wrote about the Pitchers and Catchers starting their Spring Training as that is when it actually kicks in.

I even wrote about the time I felt I had nothing to write about. I used to have friend that told that I like to talk. He was half right. I like to listen, too. I get feed back from around the world. I have been read in more than 30 countries – some are surprising. My second largest audience is in Russia. I guess there is an ego factor at work here.

Within the Personal Category I discuss religion. I have come to conclude that Religion is wonderful for many reasons, but G-d (I am still careful, just in case) I am not so sure of. Some of the traditions within my religion are going away and that disturbs me – so I wrote about it. I vented and pissed some people off. It was on my mind and still is but I have come to realize that my generation did similar things of which my parent’s generation was disturbed by. A woman on the bema – Nooooo. But Dad, that is your daughter-in-law up there! “She looks good up there,” he replied. End of controversy.

I wrote about seeing a psychic. I was very doubtful but indirectly it saved my life. It was very moving, strange and weird at the same time. I am keeping an open (slightly) mind. It was another experience that I had that I wanted to share, so I did.

I wrote about returning home to my old neighborhood. The street, the schools, the Synogogue the people there now.

The last Category is Travel. Travel amounts to about 20% of my writing. That could also be lumped into Personal  but I have been lucky enough to travel to so many countries all over the world. Egypt and Israel in the Middle East.  More than 20 countries in Europe, India, China and several other far eastern countries. Thailand is one that I really like and enjoy going to so I have spent some time typing about Thailand.

I even rode the train over the Bridge at the River Kwai. The movie does not do that event of building the bridge justice. It was gruesome.

After spending time in Eastern Europe I wrote a blog about that experience – especially about the  Concentration Camps. No matter how it is presented now, Eastern Europe is a living memorial to the Holocaust.

The bottom line of this blog is to explain that in my writing  that I am trying to share my opinions, my experiences and my emotions. My opinions are mine – if you share them, fine, if not let me know why not. My emotions are also mine. This blog lets me deal with them. My travel experiences are made even more wonderful sharing them and reliving them as I write.

Those are my reasons – you decide

MY DIAMOND YEAR

 

Ok, so you all know how old I am! It is hard to fathom that I am this old. It does get you thinking: It gets you pondering about all you missed all you did and all you wish you did better. The latter is everything, except maybe my kids. I could not have done any better. Lucky, I guess but I will take some credit.

What other things could I have done better? Planning a career, but time is the navigator and what happens in time dictates your path. There are so many influences along the way. My late wife really fought me on one career move and she was so right.  I did better, I followed her loud but precise direction. Without her support I would have not taken advantage of other opportunities. We moved to the east coast because she said we should (and I wanted the promotion). Was it a great move? No, but I did get some great learning experiences which helped later in my career path.

It may not have been great but my wife and I got take our first trip to Europe and North Africa I got to travel to Japan for the first time. All as a result of the move to the east. My kids got to go to Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. They got the Christmas Experience of New York City. They got closer to east coast relatives on my side and my late wife’s side. These relationships now span two generations and are still strong.  Bottom line, in retrospect, it was a great move.

There is a lesson here: If you make the best of the situation you get good outcomes. So, for the first 75 years I tried to make the best of all situations. It is not always easy. Basic Training and Combat Engineer Training was hard and different but I grew up and became self- sufficient. I even learned to sew. Good decision, I guess.

College was also interesting. My kids all had better college experiences than I did. But I did get through my senior year with my sweetheart that I married after six years. So, my senior year in college was outstanding as I had an amazing support system and a good typist at home.

That was the first 21 years of the first 75 years. What did I miss? Can’t think of a thing.
Next came kids - all good decisions.

While living on the east coast, my wife and I made the decision to return to California. It took 10 months to sell our home. My eldest daughter declared her life to be over. It was a temporary situation as in 2 .5 years she had a Sweet Sixteen Party with 200 of her closest friends. The high school basketball team were the bouncers that kept order. – life rejuvenated .

All three had school trips to Washington DC. Yes, it was a good decision but one nerve wracking trip till they get home.

Moving on in the 75 year journey got all three kids educated by the time I was 52 years old. All of us were really educated. My wife got sick two months after my 48^th birthday. The journey of a life time begins. Until just after my 52^nd birthday the journey was intense. I could not have done any better than the friends we had during that time. The support the love the attention, the emotions, the laughter and The tears were also quite intense.  No, there were no better people anywhere. Having all those people in our life at that time was a great decision or circumstance. I look back with pride and with warm feelings.

At my 50^th birthday party, one that I did not want because of the health ramifications with my wife, but she made it anyway, many of the people who were there are no longer with us. There are no regrets just happiness that I fought her wishes and I let her win – a good decision on my part. I look at the photo of that party and there are so many stories emanating from the friends and family that were there.

The good news for me  is that I am still here pondering the past 75 years, the bad news is that I am doing  It alone. The good news is that many of the people in the photo are still with us today. I still have the  Dodger Cap and jacket that were my birthday gifts from the Screwpals (and I still have the T shirt, too).

From 48 to 52 life was a major rollercoaster ride. My eldest got married and I was so worried about my wife’s condition in making the wedding, but I don’t regret letting her do it. During that time my younger daughter graduated from her college, my son went to the University of Arizona and my eldest started her career in the medical field. The graduation at San Francisco State was a giant memory that generates smiles and great feelings from the breakfasts at the Marriott where the Myers and the Freedmans drove the staff crazy to the ceremony at the stadium where my daughter was honored.

What highs!

More highs, I took my wife along with my cousin and his wife to Hong Kong where we had a great Experience. Shopping in crazy places. Touring Macau and SzenSzen, Stanley Market and out of the way places that the concierge suggested, looking for bargains.

More highs.

A month later – real lows! 

1989 was the start of the four year ordeal where decisions would be made, questioned, re-evaluated, second guessed all in the hope of a positive outcome – not knowing when and how that will happen.

I don’t know how we would have made better decisions. Our principal doctor who my wife did not like, at first, became her best friend and nurtured here through this ordeal. Most of the time I just nodded in agreement because the path was clear. The goal was simple – life! It was a complicated and intense process that spanned four years. The outcome was not what we hoped for but I cannot look back and say what I might have done different.

After ten years I remarried. That I can look back say that I should have done it differently. Or, not done it at all.

There were clues. I watched how my new wife and her mother treated and talked about her step sister and step brother and their kids. That was a revelation that I did not pay close attention to, till it was too late. So, I ended up on a very uncomfortable sofa bed that was designed to discourage her step sister from staying at our house. What I did better was not spending my nights on the sofa bed without an air mattress.

Free from that entanglement, my life got so much better.

That was up until age 70. In the meantime, my kids made me a 60^th birthday party where my late daughter-in-law was the bartender who mixed a great martini. Like my 50^th, there were so many people there that was important in my life. So many that are not here now. I have grandchildren named for so many:

Myles Parker and Cate. Spencer Logan, Jacob Samuel. What would I have done different?  Not tried to sing like Sinatra.

Since the 65th surprise party many have left us. All the memories are still there. Those people that are still here bring happiness and provide for new and exciting times. For twenty four years, with the exception of that nine year mistake, my life has been so much better. Traveling to far away places, experiencing new things, meeting new people, making new friends in countries I only dreamed of visiting has added so much color and so many new tchotchkes for my bar.

Yes, there were close calls. My son-in-law and I shared hospitals while he had brain surgery then I had heart surgery. We made good decisions as we are both doing quite well. We are all  celebrating his Golden Birthday as we celebrate my Diamond Birthday. 

As I look back, I have no regrets. Oh, there are moments on that time span that I wish I had dealt with better. There is a cure for that – time. As I hit 75 I am looking ahead to my next destination, to my next tennis match. My next bar or bat mitzvah of  a grandchild and may be I will get to see a granddaughter get married. Those events have nothing to do with decision making. The decisions that got to this point have been made years ago. I just want to lean back and kvell.

See you in eight years at my next Bar Mitzvah.

That is my life – you decide.

 

 

I AM ONCE AGAIN, I AM SCARED

 

Wednesday I had a meeting on the west side of Los Angeles.  I left the meeting at 6:25 pm and turned on CNN on my cable radio in my car while enduring late afternoon traffic on Wilshire Blvd., the 405 and then the 101. If you are not from the west coast, that is commuter hell at that hour. My personal hell got even hotter when I started to listen to Donald Trump and his immigration “policy” speech. 

It is hard to listen to him as he doesn’t talk, he yells. Then punctuates the point with a normal voice and often repeats what he says. Like it didn’t nauseate me the first time. It was not easy to listen to this speech as it contrasted with what he said in Mexico that day. Even the Mexican president gave a different report from what Trump had said. I’ll bet he says he now knows more about Mexico that all the generals, oh, that was ISIS.  There was a major protest in Mexico over his visit. That was in spite of his idea that they love him in Mexico – not.

That Mexican trip was a photo op, nothing more. He brought some play-dough toys to Louisiana so that makes him a hero to the people of the US Gulf – a photo op. Trump is a psycho opportunist. He panders to other psychos. His supporters can argue they are not psychos. OK, they are just bigots who look crazy.

Ignore history and you will then repeat it. I recall all the films after WWII about the Nazi rise to power. These films scared me then and still do. I recall seeing Hitler’s rants that went on for more than an hour and often longer. He, too, did not talk – he yelled. He repeated themes over and over again. He got his audience riled up so much that they went out and killed people without mercy. ( Guess they thought that they had second amendment rights). I heard the same frenzy during Trump’s rant. “Lock her up.” “Kill her.”

During the “speech” he cited some statistics and ignored so many other facts. He is the savior. “I alone can do this,” he has said. So his facts are his alone, too.

His “idealology” test is also frightening. How do you determine who loves you? Consider that at the Wannsee Conference in Potsdam, the Nazis were trying to accomplish the same thing. Loyalty, heritage and other attributes that would determine whether you lived or died. I am I sensitive to this manner of interrogation? You bet your ass I am and you should be, too.

Trump wants to weed out the “bad” guys. His selective interrogation could be transferred to the populous. He can get all the “bad” guys or those he thinks are bad. Your neighbor suspects that you are a Muslim and turns you in to Trump’s deportation corps. I don’t think it will go that far, but that is what some thought back in 1939 – more than six million people later they found out they were wrong.

This is what demagogues do and we cannot in way see that Trump is anything but a raving demagogue.

His ten point plan is just about five points as they are very similar but it allowed him to rant on and yell  

He looked presidential according to some of the brainless media and his supporters. You don’t look “presidential.” You have the look of being a leader. He signs so many paychecks that his subjects are afraid to criticize him. That is not leadership that is fear. I fear him and he signs nothing for me. His ego and his money  are his license and authority – as he stated, “I alone can do this.”

As I drove through the traffic I was shaking. Not for myself, but for my children and their children. For my generation this is a repeat of history. For the next generations this is new stuff, they hadn’t dealt with it before. They see a TV star trying to be a dictator – a reality show.

What if the Toronto Blue Jays are playing the Yankees and I root for the Toronto team am I being disloyal to the U.S.? ( I always root for the team playing the Yankees). Is that his idealology test? That is what it sounded like in his rant about Extreme Vetting. Can we trust that is not what he means when he changes what he means hourly?

So, after more than an hour listening to this and dealing with traffic to get home I was shaken. The traffic is expected and experienced but his Hitlerian rant was not. I ran in to my house from the garage, poured some Canadian whiskey ( is that going to be part of his test)?  Sat down and calmed down. But, yes, I am scared.

That is my take, you (have a drink) and you decide.

 

 

A DIME IS MORE THAN TEN CENTS

Last week I dreamt about my late wife as I often do. She has been gone for more than two decades but it still seems like it was yesterday when she instructed me to make sure I bring her mirror. I was told that when I do have dreams of her she is visiting me. As I outlined in an earlier piece I am skeptical but somewhat open to the idea that people who were close to you and are now gone are not  really “gone” but are here in some form of spirit or energy or mental manifestation.

I do get some comfort in the dreams. I relive some of our best moments over the nearly 36 years we were important to each other. There were other moments that are not worth reliving so I don’t. Selective good memories. There is no doubt that we laughed a lot during those years. When I was selling our dining room table the lady that was considering buying it said to me I can feel laughter in this table. The story of how and when we bought is also funny. Edited version: I was banished from the store while she negotiated the purchase. I was having a very irreverent day. She was giving me hell and I couldn’t stop laughing.

One of my fondest memories was the impromptu Labor Day weekend trip to Santa Barbara. All five of us just driving from the Valley to Ojai to Santa Barbara. We were enjoying the scenery and the day. The “hotel” where we got  a “suite”  was also a source of laughter. But we had a place to stay and it was not the Ritz it was more like to Rotz. It was a weekend of laughter even after we were almost lost at sea. (what does the dime have to do with this – I will tell you later, read on).

After almost being lost at sea my sailing skills were assailed by my family as being poor if no- existent. During our sea odyssey I learned what a jib is. I am still not sure what it is but someone yelled, “pull on the jib.” I asked the four experts on the boat what the f%#&k is a jib? Things went downhill from there. I guess we had no idea how much trouble we were in because we all hysterical with laughter. We finally made it to the dock – alive.

Each of us was recalling the events of the day and the belly laughs did not stop. On this beautiful street we had to navigate back to the Hotel Rotz, my wife, who had a notoriously weak bladder, went . Yes, she went. We still laugh at that moment, I still see her almost bent over from laughing so hard. In fact, we are all still laughing at that fun moment when we recall that day to this day.

Most of my dreams that include her are like this one. I still recall her thinking that the lever to self-clean the oven was for making sure the door doesn’t open. After the fire department left we had a great laugh over this, but not right away. It took a few weeks. We had to get past the fire department’s fans to get rid of the smoke, the smoke on the walls and the very shriveled up steak that was the ultimate victim. We actually got to meet our new neighbors.

So, after reading the reports that my daughter and son wrote about their experience with a psychic I was curious. (See my blog of January 25, 2015 “I AM (WAS)A SKEPTIC”). In that session Susan came through and implored me to get the GERD I was experiencing checked out. I knew it was GERD as I know people at that time also experiencing it. TUMS seemed to work. Some events were not as troubling as others. I went through Vietnam from Hanoi to Saigon and many stops in between popping TUMs or TUMs like discs. Yes, I told my fellow adventurers, I will get this checked out again after I get home. There was a little whisper in my head and the notes that my daughter took at the psychic's session reflecting her mother’s advice to me also tweeked the idea of another endoscopy.

A week or so after I got back I had the endoscopy as I promised in the session, as I promised my fellow adventurers and my family. Two days later I was admitted to the cardiac unit at the hospital and a week later I got by-pass surgery. Susan came through and substantiated the need for attention to my heart, the heart she owned since she was 14 years old.

What about the dime? As I said I often have dreams of Susan and when I do, I feel better as the dreams are of fun filled and light hearted moments of our lives together. We had some not so great moments but who can remember them, who wants to?

My kids tell me that their significant people who come to them in dreams also have some form of physical manifestation to let them know they are there. Flicking lights, door sounds, etc. Last week I had a great series of dreams in one night that when I woke, I had a smile on my face and felt really good.

As I walked down the stairs to have breakfast I looked down and there was a shiny new dime centered on the second from last step. Smack dab in the middle. I could not miss that shiny new dime. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. I didn’t give it much thought but all day I kept feeling for the dime. When I felt it there I got a good feeling and smiled.

Last night I played in my tennis league and after winning my service game we changed sides. As I walked to the other side of the court, I looked down and smack dab in the middle of the service box was a shiny new dime. It wasn’t there when we warmed up. No one spotted it during the game. It was just there as I walked to other side of the net. I picked it up and put it in my pocket and I smiled. Susan was there with me. I smiled as I won my service three other times. It was nice to have a family member come and see me play, finally.

That was my experience – you decide.

ONE PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS ... OR MORE

Most of my blogs are from 900 to 1400 words. This blog will be a little shorter.  One of my fellow travelers to India took a great photo,  upon review actually reflects what is happening in our country. This photo is great metaphor. I asked if I could use it in this blog. Mauge Wevar de Rosenberg said yes, and I thank her for the use and for getting this photo.

April we visited some iconic places in India. The location where Ghandi was assassinated, Rathambore National Park to observe animals in the jungle and hopefully see some tigers, Agra Fort, float along the Ganges Rivers and of course the Taj Mahal. All of these places and others were breathtaking. Say what you want about India, you see and experience things like no other place on earth. The strings that the Hindu priest tied on my wrist are still there. The little container of Gange water is still on my book shelf, the other container I brought back, according to a friend and professional caretaker, helped a dying woman in need of some pain free moments.

One of the shocking things we experienced was the SheRoes Café where we met, talked with, danced with young women who were the victims of acid attacks. SheRoes is an example of surviving and rising above adversity and pain. Needless to say, it was quite an emotional experience.

What we saw on the street upon leaving SheRoes really lightened the mood.

When I saw Mauge Wevar-Rosenberg's photo I bust out laughing.  saw a depiction and representation of what was happening in the U.S. There was a big blond bull trying to defile an innocent cow that happened to be of darker hide. A big blond guy wants to defile the U.S.  Got the picture? Mauge did get it and we all thank her for it.

That is my take – you decide

 Note:  Mauge Wevar de Rosenberg became a U.S. Citizen just after returning from India

I AM HAVING A HARD TIME RECONCILING WHAT I HEAR WITH WHAT I SEE

According to Trump, the economy stinks. It is rigged (for people like him). It is not what the Obama administration promised. Again, according to Trump, the unemployment rate is 10 percent, maybe 20 percent and he even heard up 42%. We know he is nuts but the people are starting to believe this crap. It comes down to an old joke where a wife comes home and finds her husband in bed with another woman, as he steps away from the bed he asks, “Are you going to believe me or are you going to believe your eyes?”

In this case, the economy, I am opting for what I see. Not what I am hearing. Yes, you can make the argument that there are people hurting, there are always people hurting. The reasons are not always of their own making, but many are because they won’t “flip burgers.” There are so many people who are under qualified and won’t take the job that is there – hence migrant workers, braceros on the street looking for manual labor, handymen and women without green cards. They get jobs.

If Trump deports the 11 million “illegals” I am confident that the people who are out of work, will still be looking for a job. That is not the answer.

So, if this economy is so bad why are the 38 million people going on a trip this Memorial Day weekend? Why are the security lines so long at the airport? People without money don’t travel. The planes are full. They don’t go Disney Land or World. They don’t go camping. They don’t spend billions at the movie box office. This is not the top 10% is the “middle class” that is being destroyed in s systematic way by the Right. They, the Right, are trying hard but 20 million more people are enjoying health insurance for the first time in spite of the Right.

Is the economy a state of mind or is it really bad? Make your own analysis.  Next time that you are stopped at a traffic light look at the ten cars around you? (Remember, many of the foreign brands are built on the US by us). How many cars are three years old or younger? I will bet that you will be astonished at what you see. I had a guy tell me yes, but they are all leased and the payments are lower. There are two things wrong with that argument: 1. There are still payments to be made 2. The lessee needs a better credit score to lease than to buy. You get a better score by paying your bills.

Trump and others tell you how bad it is so often you almost have to believe it. Believe nothing of what you hear and half of what you see. Maybe then you won’t let the politicians on the left and right depress you.

Go to a major league ball park and see how many people, not in the 10%, are there. With their kids, buying six dollar water (I have written about this), wearing logo shirts and having fun. They are the working class that the pundits says are angry. Really! Angry? May be pissed at $15 parking, but angry they are not.

I often hear that college kids that are graduating can’t get jobs. True, they can’t get the jobs that pay what they are expecting. I am not saying we don’t have problems within the economy, but we are better prepared to deal with them. We must not let the Right increase interest rates on student loans or prevent them from adjusting them as the economy may dictate. We, the people, are aware of the solutions but look at who are stepping in front of the way to solve the problems. There is the Tea Party, the ultra-right, our right wing congress members who won’t raise the minimum wage but give themselves enormous raises to do nothing and they appear to do nothing quite well. They have created the appearance of a negative economy so they can install their solutions – privatize it.

Take the TSA for example. They, the right (they are in control of Congress) cut the TSA budget. So, we get longer lines and poorer security. What did they suggest? Yep, privatize it.

The US Postal Service is doing well, well enough to drop the rate of a first class stamp. No one is going “postal” these days. That is killing the right that imposed major financial regulations that required the USPS to prefund all pensions. So, even with one hand tied behind their back,  to the Right’s chagrin, there is no need to privatize.

Social Security is not broke, it could be better if the cap was lifted. The Right and some lefties, won’t do that either. The Social Security program is one of insurance not investment. Since its inception, not one Social Security check has ever bounced or been missed.

Will Hillary, Bernie or the Donald fix any of that? For sure, the Donald won’t. Our best bet is with someone from the left. That is for you to decide, but they and us, feel that America is great now, but it could be greater. Listen to the issues not the propaganda.

What makes America great is the fact that I can write this blog, you can read it,  and you can agree or not agree.

I want a leader to lead us, not a conniving business man with a record of distortion, a record of deceit. Not someone with a record of cheering for our misfortunes so he can make a larger fortune. Not a bully that wants to dominate other world leaders. That is a recipe for disaster and Trump, using that word to describe everything but his ideas, will be the largest, and biggest creator of disasters. They will be “huuuuge.”

I just drove down a major thoroughfare here in the San Fernando Valley. There are several large “Now Hiring” signs displayed. Go the mall and see the “Hiring Now” signs in the windows. Need a job, you can get a job. Don’t blame the other guy for your situation. Take charge of yourself and change it. The guy with the different color skin is not causing your problem, you are.

That is my take, you decide

 

THE MIRACLE OF THE GANGES

I just came back from two and one half weeks in the heart of India. As someone pointed out India is an acronym for I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! Wrong, it is a country and culture that one trip just won’t cut it. It is a very large country (with just one time zone) allowing for many religions and varied cultures all in one large place. All are welcome. (Deal with that Trump!)

One of my fellow travelerseloquently journalizied what we learned and experienced over the 17 days we were there. This blog is about just one aspect of the adventure – the waters of the Ganges River.

Here are some “facts” related to the Ganges that were told to me by people who either did not know, never been there, never read anything about the river or wanted to let me know that based on their knowledge, I was crazy to go there. I am so glad that I did not listen to them.

Yes, the Ganges is quite crowded during the day as Indians bathe in the Ganges. Others are washer people doing laundry in the Ganges. No, I did not inquire as to whether that is where my hotel got their laundry done. Others are steeped in prayer, kids are diving in and women are bathing in their saris.

In the spring, the Ganges water level is quite low. When the monsoon season hits the Ganges will rise up to 30 feet above the current level of the water. The Ganges is actually wider than what it appears because of the sandbar that the low water level exposes that makes the opposite shore look closer.

The water Is not a pretty color. However, the water comes from the Himalayas and some say it is clean. I saw the people who bathed in it also drank it. Not for me. BUT, I had to put my feet in the water just to report that I did get some experience in the Ganges.

The night before we visited the Ganges and saw funeral pyres along the Ganges River. I did not see any bodies floating by as I was told I would by some back home. I did see bones that did not incinerate in the funeral fire being thrown into the Ganges. In one crematorium I counted 11 pyres going and more being built. It is  a three hour burn. The families attend the cremations.

Further down (or up) river there were daily religious ceremonies being performed with 30 to 40 thousand people in attendance. About half of the people were in boats as we were. The boats were jammed in together – most full to capacity and many were way over capacity. It was a beautiful ceremony with fire, lights, bells and chanting. It was enchanting.

As we sailed back to our departure point, the sky was dark and the river was dark save for the lights on shore which went out as we were approaching our “docking” point. We navigated by the lights in our smart phone. Imagine Holland America announcing all hand on deck and light your iPhones, we are at the next port of call!

We safely navigated our way off the boat, up the stairs and down the crowded dark streets to our coach.  Everyone made it back safely and when we took a count, we found a cow also joined our group. Not really, but it was possible.

The next day it was back to the Ganges for a ride back to where we experienced the pyres and the religious ceremonies to experience the Ganges in the daylight. I had just spoken with a lady friend back home. She is a Registered Nurse and asked about the Ganges experience. When I told here we would be back to Ganges she instructed me to obtain Ganges water to bring home. I said,”OK!” When I mentioned this to our trip leader he said some people think that Ganges water can cure you of ailments. Hmmm. How would Gina know that? He also told me that they sell containers to take Ganges water back. (Not in my carry on bag!)

As you float in your man powered boat other boats , like floating souvenir shops come by and they sell everything including little brass containers which they will fill with about an ounce of Ganges water for you. Problem solved. I will carry it on.

If the water will cure ailments I figured I will dip my legs in it. My knee has been hurting, so why not? The water did feel good, but my knee still hurt. Along the shore area there were Hindi priests painting faces, chanting prayers, tying strings on your wrist.  Once again, why not? I did all that and my knee still hurt! But, I had my Ganges water to take home.

A few days later and a 13500 mile flight, I was home. I actually forgeot about the two little Ganges brass bottles until I got to the bottom of my tchochke bag. When Gina came by I gave her the bracelet, the necklace and the blouse I got for her and one of the brass containers. With the Ganges water.

After dinner last night she said, “I have something to tell you.” Hmmm. She is too old to have a baby,  or she might have won the lottery, I was curious. When she said it had something to do with the Ganges water I was nervous as I told her it could give you severe Delhi Belly. No, she said. If you recall, she is a registered nurse who works in an assisted living facility. It is an expensive facility, apartments can run up to $7000 per month or more.

Gina’s friend, also a nurse with a patient in the same facility . She asked Gina to rub some of the Ganges water, our Ganges water, on her patient with Pancreatic cancer. What could it hurt? Gina took her finger and dipped into the brass container, rubbed the liquid on her hand and then rubbed her hands on the lady with the cancer.

Later that day, her friend said the lady wants to talk to you. The cancer patient reported that she did not need any pain medication for more than six hours. She felt good for the first time in a long time. Gina, a devout Catholic, saw it as matter of faith and a miracle for the lady who has limited time on earth as her cancer has spread. But the six hours were wonderful for the patient. Gina felt so uplifted as I did because I was able to bring the water home with me and have it do some good. 

India, I know I will Do It Again.


July 15, 2016 - the lady succumbed to her cancer.

 

That is my experience, you decide.

 

THE BASEBALL GODS MUST BE CRAZY

Another season. I wrote about why I get excited when the next baseball season is on the horizon.  That was five years ago – my how time flies. And in those five years tickets have become more complicated than my 1040 tax return. I just counted more than 50 levels of pricing for a single ticket at a Dodger game. That doesn’t include the ticket pricing for parking.  The two hours and 56 minutes is a very expensive proposition.

If I want Dugout Club Seats for myself and two grandchildren I need to spend my social security check  – really, and that does not include parking or a hot dog. There is nothing like being there. Be there or be square – remember that phrase? Now it is “be there and be poor, very poor.”

Of the 50 or so levels of pricing, the lowest cost seats are in the top deck areas and they do not include tissues for the nose blood. What have the Dodgers and what has baseball done to people like me who are life long fans. We enjoyed a day at the ball yard. We loved the night games, we loved the people we sat next to. Now I can’t afford to go to a game and I am not poor, yet.

Next time I hear about a $15 million dollar contract I will realize that I am and many of those like me, are subsidizing this payoff. No, it is not the billion dollar TV deal, though that has not reduced any ticket prices, it is the salaries of these fragile performers that  have a strained oblique, calf that hurts, or a tooth ache and they make hundreds if not thousands sitting in the dugout.

It is a shame. I recall taking my grandkids to games. We sat in the bleachers for six bucks. Got to talk to the pitchers warming up. Shmoozed with the other fans with their kids. What a wonderful experience. We were not Hispanics, not caucasians, not African Americans, we are FANS. It is hard to cheer for a ball club that is made up of greed.

Kershaw, a great pitcher but is he worth my not being able to go to a game with my grandsons? No way.

Yasiel Puig, a sometimes great outfielder, but not worth the price to pay to see him sit on the bench most of the time. Is the value of my ticket diminished because he didn’t play – yes it is.  Kershaw plays once every five days.

It appears that America’s past time is past its time and being priced out of existence. If I cannot afford to go to a game, the game does not exist for me. It is hard because I love the sport. I grew up first in Braves Field where we went to the game for a dime including carfare. Yes, I know that was the olden days as I have been told by my middle aged kids. The point is even then I could afford to go to a game. A few years ago the Dodgers had half price Wednesdays. I took my grand kids and they ate well at the game and I was able to eat the rest of the week as I was not broke.

I am surprised that the Dodgers did not sign Greinke. We would have all paid for it. We are paying for all the multimillion dollar contracts for the run of the mill players, whether we like it or not every time we buy a ticket.

Back in 1966 Koufax and Drysdale got  $167,000 for the year after a tough negotiation. Today a rookie gets more than three times that his first year. What does the average family man that attends a game make?  I would venture a guess and say somewhat less.

This is Vin Scully’s last season. He will be missed. But here is the good news, I can watch the game and listen to Vinny without buying a ticket. I do lose the excitement of being there.  But I have enough money to go to an Angel game (I had better check their prices).  I did – they are not much better. They televise Angels games, too.

Here is the tragedy of all this: When I was a young boy my dad would take me to a Red Sox Game. I loved going and spending the time with my dad who was an avid fan. My father was a working man, blue collar, but he was able to take me to a few games each year. Now, I want to share the events with my grandkids but it is price prohibitive. And the teams don’t give a damn. Both the kids and me are losing out to greed. It is hard to enjoy the game when these players are not performing up to their incomes. Right now there is an equivalent of a major league team unable to perform because of minor tweeks, hurts and boo boos and this is just the Dodgers. And they want us to pay big bucks not see these guys.

If I am invited I will go to a game or two. But I hope the Dodgers understand that my loyalty goes to event not the team. Fresh air, friendly fans and hots dogs are the attractions. Not just the Dodgers, but this is where I live – so it is the Dodgers.

My son just wrote a blog about how the Dodgers got more for their money by not signing Grienke. It is  our money they spend when they buy contracts.  So, who cares? They may be financial wizards but they could care less about the fan base.

Dodger Blue is now Dodger Green – more than ever.

That is my take – you decide.

REMEMBRANCE

I have been writing about some things that stir emotions in me. My last blog was about tradition. I have written about why I like religion and G-d not so much. I have written about things in my past that stir memories and then the emotion kicks in. I was reading an article about reciting the Kaddish after a death.

The Kaddish, for the unannointed, is said after a member of your family passes away. It is usually, a mother, father, brother, sister or a child. That is the tradition. I have been watching that tradition fade as many synagogues do not have minions in which the Kaddish is recited. The minion is traditionally a meeting of ten men who gather in a place where there is a Torah scroll or any place that will hold ten men of like religion. (The Torah scroll is the tenth man if needed).

I watched my dad when his mother died. I was about ten years old and what he did has stuck with me for more than 60 years. I was very impressed by the fact that my dad went to the shul for a morning minion and he stopped at the shul for an evening minion on his way home. I often went with him.  Even though as I grew up I was told, “you shouldn’t know of such things.”

When he passed away I was recalling his devotion to that minchag so I went about looking for minions that I could attend to honor his memory. I lived in the Conejo Valley at that time. I belonged to a Reform Congregation, so there were no minions at my shul. There was a weekly minion at the Conservative Congregation, so that is where I went – weekly. The rabbi recognized this dilemma for me and tried to make the minion as meaningful as possible – 10 people or not. He often asked me to lead the service. I felt I was honoring my father’s memory in a way he would appreciate and I felt good about it.

It was emotional. The service, whether at a Shiva house or at a shul, is emotional. This is a time when your neighbors and friends and family provide their support. It is a time of immense grief and also the time when the healing starts and a time for remembering. The Kaddish is never said alone as there are built in responses that come from the community and as you hear the “Omains” and the “Borachus” you know that you are sharing this moment.

This service and the prayer should not be diluted. In order to make the mourners feel they are a part of the community, some rabbis ask all the members of the congregation to stand and recite Kaddish. That is a major dilution of the moment, a dilution of the prayer, of the remembrance. Your fellow congregants do not know who is in mourning and who is not. That is not support that is recitation that makes the rabbi feel good, not the mourners.

To take this further, I was standing by a young woman who was reciting the Kaddish. I asked her who she was remembering. Was it a family member? Was it a close friend? She was remembering the six million that died in the Holocaust. Did she know any of the people that died in the Holocaust – no.

Saying the Kaddish, in my view, is an obligation for the blood relatives of the immediate family to remember their loved ones. It is an obligation that is to be avoided as long as you can. When you are obligated to say Kaddish it is when you have experienced some sever amount of grief. The young woman grieved for no one.

In keeping with remembrance there are three times each year, in addition to the deceased yahrtzeit (anniversary of death) that you remember. It is the Yizkor service. Until I had someone to remember I was not allowed to be in that service. I waited outside. My late wife lost her father and I waited in the foyer till Yizkor was over so I could give her a hug. Parents are bringing children to Yizkor services. They have no sense of piety.  The whole event is somewhat diluted and losing the meaning.

There are many prayers you can recite during the year for departed loved ones. But the Kaddish has most meaning. Even in a Rocky movie the Kaddish was recited for Rocky’s manager. It was a moving moment  because the words that start the prayer are recognized everywhere as sadness and the defining moment for emotions. Yiskadal yiskadosh . . . I remember. (Today my dad would have been 106 years old).

 

That is my take you decide

POOR TEVYA

If he knew how right he was one hundred and fifty years ago he would have sang the song “Tradition” even louder. He was so right, tradition is like the fiddler on the roof, very precarious. It saddens me that traditions are not valued as they once were. The retort that “times are a changing” is not enough to justify the things we hold dear and look forward to.

In my family I tried to create a minchag. That is a family tradition. I provide the Talit for all my grandchildren for their Bat or Bar Mitzvah. The talit have to come from Israel. There was one shop that I got the first six  and now I need two more so I will have to obtain them long distance from my friend at Ora Gifts in Jerusalem. I will maintain that minchag. And a friend.

Another minchag that I tried to create was “Grandpa’s Bag of  Gold” for Chanukah. With their gelt the kids get to read some  poetry that I attempt to write about the family and the holiday.  I hope that these minchag (don’t know the plural) will live on in my family’s memory long after I am gone.  And as I Iook back I remember my father, my uncles, my aunts and my mother creating a minchag of preparing the Pesach meal at my Grandmother’s house. (Actually, it was my aunt’s house, but when they were cooking, no doubt was my Grandmother’s house).

Traditions add richness and color to the time. Handing down the Torah scroll at the Bar/Bat Mitzvah service is one of my favorite minchags (plural). It says so much about family and the traditions that come with that symbolic deed.

Traditions are repeated from generation to generation (L’dor V’dor) in spite of the fact some are difficult and time consuming, but they are worth it. It is maintaining the chain and richness of the event or time.

I recall my late wife spending hours creating rhymes for the people to be honored as they light the candles on the Bar/Bat Mitzvah cake. The light of the candles is symbolic of creating a future of bright expectations and wishes from family and friends. Connecting the generations with the light of a candle. I complained that some of the candle lighters at my kid’s parties I did not know well, I was informed they knew us and they respected our family. I am sure the kids did not know some of their candle lighters but I can’t imagine not having some distant relative who was very influential to either me or my wife in our way of life not being honored. To a thirteen year old that may not be important, and it is the B’nai Mitzvot’s night. But it is also the night for family and friends to celebrate. I was told that was too much trouble. The hire someone to write your rhymes. Don’t write rhymes just make statements as to why these people are important enough to be honored. This is a minchag that needs to be maintained.  


At my Bar Mitzvah,  my friend  was empowered to squeeze the light of the candle out because we had too many people to light the candles. The blisters on her two fingers from the flame have long since healed. That was 61 years ago but she talks about that “honor” today. What a delightful memory!

Times have changed, no more bands (I just went to a Bat Mitzvah with an 11 piece orchestra with four dancers – a little much for a Bat Mitzvah) just disc jockeys that know how to keep a party moving. Love the music and the energy. This also a turning point as some thirteen year old boys ask thirteen year old girls to dance – for the first time in their lives.

Traditions have crossed pollinated. The raising the Bar/Bat Mitzvah on chairs is actually a wedding ritual stemming from Orthodox Jewish weddings. Minchags  can be borrowed.

Minchags create memories. Memories that make you smile. Memories that warm the moment. So, why are we so quick to extinguish a minchag? Because not everyone at the event will understand and / or appreciate the beauty of it? So, what!

Theme parties are the thing. It was just a week ago that I was reminiscing with someone about my son’s Bar Mitzvah. She was hired to create a theme emblematic of his interests and also his friend’s interests. A good time was had by all, the kids and the adults.

Tradition is important  to me. It was important to my late wife, my parents and in general, to my peers.

Some traditions are embedded in the liturgy. Blessing over the wine. Blessing over the bread.  As we end an era, our Bat/Bar Mitzvah is now deemed an adult, we start another by saying amen and L’Chiam!

The Bar Mitzvah Boys at Normie’s Bar Mitzvah circa 1954: LtoR:  Solly Freedman, Eddie Lupo, Davey Freedman, Alan (the Bovitz) Myers, Howie Gelbsman, Ally Cohen

That is my take – you decide