ARIZONA And "Ax Handle" Maddox

 

Solomon was right: There is nothing new under the sun.

The recent flap over a proposed Arizona law that would allow business owners to refuse service to a specific class of potential customers was a fight most recently fought in 1965 when the battle was famously joined in Atlanta GA.

As most readers of this blog are too young to remember Ax Handle Maddox I encourage you to visit the link and read the entire entry.

Lester Garfield Maddox, a/k/a Ax Handle, and his wife, Hattie Virginia Cox, owned the Pickrick Restaurant. A staunch segregationist, Maddox refused to serve blacks, even following passage of the "Civil Rights Act of 1964." The Act's purpose, according to the preamble, was: To enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the “Civil Rights Act of 1964”.

There is a film clip, titled "WSB-TV news film clip of Lester Maddox pushing African Americans away from his cafeteria with an ax handle, Atlanta, Georgia, 1965 January 29" available in the University of Georgia's Civil Rights Digital Library.

Now - in 20113 we encounter Barronelle Stutzman, the owner of Arlene's Flowers in Richland WA, refusing to sell flowers for a gay couple's wedding. There was no suggestion that the flower shop engaged in "public accommodations," but the refusal apparently violated Washington's Consumer Protection Act. According to State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, "Under the Consumer Protection Act, it is unlawful to discriminate against customers on the basis of sexual orientation. If a business provides a product or service to opposite-sex couples for their weddings, then it must provide same-sex couples the same product or service."

As an aside, the man who ordered the flowers (for his same-sex wedding) was "a long-time customer" suggesting that the man's sexual preference was OK as long as it did not conflict with the flower shop owner's personal philosophy.

A counter suit  filed by an anti-gay-marriage group called Alliance Defending Freedom, argues that Ferguson’s suit is attempting to force Barronelle Stutzman to act contrary to her religious convictions in violation of her freedoms under the state constitution.

“In America, the government is supposed to protect freedom, not use its intolerance for certain viewpoints to intimidate citizens into acting contrary to their faith convictions. Family business owners are constitutionally guaranteed the freedom to live and work according to their beliefs,” said Dale Schowengerdt, senior legal counsel with the Arizona-based group.

Now we come to Arizona.

Given the history of anti-discrimination laws in the United States and that fact that almost without exception the government prevails, why would anyone want to propose a law that would protect a business owner's rights?

In any event, there are no "states rights" - all have been trampled by Washington's boots; no state law is inviolate when the Federal government decides to over-ride it.

MY PROBLEM is that a business should be able to decide to whom to cater ON THE CONDITION THAT THERE ARE ALTERNATE BUSINESSES OFFERING THE SAME PRODUCTS within a reasonable distance from the rejected customer.

Dress codes are "tolerated" (See City drops suit against some Jewish shop owners over dress codes, but what let's consider a Satmar who owns a restaurant. Well inside the Satmar ghetto so that his customers are almost exclusively from his sect. Now, in walks a non-Satmar. A man either sans a kippa or, heaven forbid, with a knit kippa (which the Council of Sages claim makes the person "non-Jewish").

The restaurant owner tells the non-Satmar gentleman he has to don a kippa in order to be served. "I'm Reform and we don't wear kippot; I won't wear one and you will serve me."

(Yes, I know, the kippa-less gentleman undoubtedly knew what would happen before he wandered into the ghetto.)

The Satmar will contend that the kippa is part of the establishment's dress code. The owner probably will point out other eating establishments just outside the ghetto that will gladly serve the non-Satmar customer want-to-be.

But, never mind the owner's sensitivities; never mind the sensitivities of the other customers, never mind the availability of other restaurants within the area, the government will step in and force the restaurant to feed the bare headed man.

It used to be that your rights ended at the tip of my nose. I think we have sacrificed individual rights on the alter of political correctness.

If homosexuals want to form sanctioned liaisons, fine, but please don't call it "marriage." If non-Jews want to eat at a kosher restaurant, likewise fine; let it be a restaurant with a mix of observant (kippa-wearing) and non-observant (no kippot) clientele.

As a young man I applied for a job with several business that refused to hire me because I had - and still have - a beard. Their loss. Should I have gone to the Feds and complained? Today, in the U.S. Air Force, Jews must sue to wear a kippa (not so in the other services; why that is so is beyond my ken).

Again, if I have the only business of its type within, say, a 50-mile radius, I should expect, and be willing, to welcome all potential customers. On the other hand, if my business is one of many offering the same product or service, I should be allowed to select my customers, especially if my trade would disappear because one or two individuals refuse to conform the my establishment's norms .

Some things to consider During Apartheid Week

As college and university campuses around the world - including Hebrew University! - enjoy the annual Israel-bashing "Apartheid Week" it seems appropriate to recap some recent news about Israel and the Arabs within Israel and within the PA.

Starting with Hebrew U.

Headline: Apartheid Week' Hits Hebrew University

Read article and view photos at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/177883#.Uw35cuNdX8g

Excerpts: Aid Golan, the head of the university's Ta Lava pro-Likud student group, told Arts Shiva that Arab students were behind the defamatory exhibit, which is located in a central hallway frequented daily by the university's regents. The Arab students put up photos depicting the IDF negatively with insightful texts, reports Golan. The texts define IDF soldiers as "hunters of freedom," call Israel "Palestine," and the IDF an "occupying army."

"One particularly colorful photo text describes the picture as being of a mother crying for her shahid (martyr) son who was killed by the "occupation army." Sections of the Arab text declare that "Palestine will be liberated."

Golan voiced surprise that Arab students, who study freely in the Israeli university and enjoy "affirmative action" in being accepted to the school and into work afterwards, dare to cry of "apartheid" and "racism."

Shocking news

Headline: PA: Israel Not Cutting Electricity, Giving More

Read article at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/177884

Excerpts: A senior member of the Palestinian Authority (PA) electricity committee on Wednesday morning denied talk of Israel cutting off power to the PA, given the PA's 1.4 billion shekels ($400 million) in unpaid bills to the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC).

"The electric company hasn't threatened to cut off the PA from electric supply," said the senior official to Arabic news source Ma'an.

The PA acquires 95% of its electricity in Judea and Samaria and 75% of its electricity in Gaza from Israel.

The "shocking" thing is that a PA official (!) stood up for the "apartheid enemy."

Water, water, not everywhere

EU Parliament President Martin Schulz , citing PA statistics, told Israel's parliament that the amount of water available to the average Israeli unfairly overwhelms the amount of water available to the average Palestinian..

Headline: Report: PA Weaponizing Water Against Israel

Read article at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/report-pa-weaponizing-water-against-israel/2014/02/26/

Excerpts: The Palestinian Authority is using water as a weapon against the State of Israel, states a new report titled The Truth Behind the Palestinian Water Libels (PDF), issued by Prof. Haim Gvirtzman from the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies..

What are the causes of Palestinian water supply problems? Today, the Palestinians consume some 200 million cubic meters of water per annum in Judea and Samaria, Prof. Gvirtzman reports. The Palestinians could easily raise that amount by at least 50 percent, without any additional assistance or allocation from the State of Israel. His short answer: Water shortages in the Palestinian Authority are the result of Palestinian policies that deliberately waste water and destroy the regional water ecology. The Palestinians refuse to develop their own significant underground water resources, build a seawater desalination plant, fix massive leakage from their municipal water pipes, build sewage treatment plants, irrigate land with treated sewage effluents or modern water-saving devices, or bill their own citizens for consumer water usage, leading to enormous waste.

Boycott Israeli products … made by PA Arabs

An article that tries hard to be anti-SodaStream and anti-Israel has its moment of truth and admits that Soda Stream and some other Israeli-owned businesses are proving coexistence is possible - at least in the workplace.

Headline: What SodaStream's Palestinian Employees Think About Scarlett Johansson

Read article at: http://gawker.com/what-sodastreams-palestinian-employees-think-about-sca-1513475552

Excerpts: In a Huffington Post blog post defending her association with SodaStream, Johansson said she's "proud of the...quality of their product and work environment," and said the factory places Israelis and Palestinians together side-by-side in cooperation. That frankly sounds too kumbaya to be true, but a similar sentiment was actually volunteered without prompting by the Palestinian workers here.

"Hell yeah, I'm happy. We're like family. We have fun,'' said Mohammed Yousef, 22, from the Palestinian village of Jaba. "We are Jews and Muslims here. We are here peacefully. We have no problems. Everyone is complaining about settlements here and everywhere, but SodaStream is different.''

Just a two-minute drive away from the industrial zone is a small strip of Israeli retailers featuring a discount Rami Levy supermarket chain that also employees Palestinians from the West Bank.

According to Wassim Siam, a 26-year-old quality-control employee at Soda Stream, "I talk a lot to friends abroad. They say, 'You are an Arab. How can you work there?'" he said. "Nobody knows there are 1,000 people and their lives will be turned upside down by the [boycott]. You are killing them, so stop it.''

Israeli Arabs have no voice?

Headline: Fuming Arab MKs storm out of debate on Temple Mount

Read article at: http://www.timesofisrael.com/enraged-arab-mks-storm-out-of-debate-on-temple-mount/#ixzz2uRTLZLvN

Excerpts: Discussing a proposed policy change that would allow Jews to pray on the Temple mount, Arab MK Jamal Zahalke (Balad) interjected, “There is no such thing as the Temple Mount, there is only the al-Aqsa Mosque,” setting off a shouting match between members of the Jewish and Arab parties.

MKs Zahalke, Ahmad Tibi (Ta’al), Mohammed Barakeh (Hadash) and Afou Agbaria (Hadash) began shouting at committee chairwoman MK Miri Regev (Likud), with Tibi calling her a pyromaniac and “a contemptible settler.”

“What is this, you insolent person!” Tibi shouted at Regev. After Tibi refused to apologize, Regev responded, “Fortunately I don’t need to earn respect from them,” further fanning the flames.

“What do you mean ‘them’?” Tibi retorted. “Who is ‘them’ — the Arabs?”

Leaving the hall, Barakeh jabbed a finger in Regev’s direction, saying, “Anyone who comes to desecrate the al-Aqsa Mosque will find us there and not here.”

Tell me again how Israel mistreats the Muslims within its borders and within the so-called PA.

And tell me again how much better it is for an Arab, especially a PA Muslim, to live in ANY Islamic country.

I have seen an obviously Muslim family calmly stroll along a Haifa-area beach while Israel's Muslim neighbors were sending rockets into Haifa. No Jews bothered the Muslims; no harassment, no cat calls. The family was, after all, Israeli and despite the rocket attacks, there appeared no hostility to this family.

Anyone care to venture a guess how an obviously Jewish person would be treated under the same circumstances in any Islamic country?

Humana's response (*2) We'll send you a letter Within the next 30 days

Over the last two weeks I have gotten two (2) recorded messages from Humana's Medicare Advantage organization.

Each time the voice told me that Humana understands my concerns and it will respond my letter "within 30 days."

Is that 30 days from the first phone call or does the second call extend the initial 30 days to 37 or 40 or ?

I have been trying for nearly a month to get the Humana Medicare Advantage organization to answer a really very simple question.

I asked the question via Humana's web site. When I finally got a response it was the usual "We've been busy" (translation: you're stuck with us until December 31 2014 so you're not important to us now) followed words that fail to answer my query.

I ended up writing a paper letter to Humana's corporate office and that, I am certain, generated the "we'll send you a letter within 30 days" phone calls.

This is my first year with Humana; it very likely will be my last.

My previous Medicare Advantage provider was AvMed. As far as communications with its Medicare Advantage operation, I was spoiled. Frequent printed informative materials and email access to the organization's CEO and CMO (Chief Medical Officer).

If contacting AvMed's Customer Server failed to generate a quick, complete response, I could (and did) raise the issue with management. I don't know if either the CEO or CMO actually received my electronic missives, but someone acted on them on my behalf . . . and I never had to wait 30 days for a snail mail reply.

My question to Humana was simple:

Which of the following four Humana Advantage-listed Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) are allowed to refer to the following two Humana Advantage-listed specialists?

I

It seems the PCP I selected was not allowed (he told me) to refer me to my long-time ophthalmologist. Since an optometrist - who I was forced to see before I could get a referral to ANY ophthalmologist - said the developing cataract in my right eye might be ready for surgery - adding that surgery was the ophthalmologist's decision, not his.

Since I am new to Humana's way of doing things I was surprised that any Humana-listed PCP was prohibited from referring ("getting authorization for") to any Humana-listed specialist.

I selected Humana Medicare Advantage largely because it listed my specialists - the ophthalmologist and my vascular surgeon. (The latter performed an open AAA repair; tricky, time-consuming, but effective.) Humana also offered me a roughly $200 annual savings over my previous plan with AvMed.

My first Humana-listed PCP told me that he was not allowed (by Humana) to refer me to my ophthalmologist; the vascular surgeon was referable. Given that, he said, I had two choices:

1. Go to an ophthalmologist to whom he could/would refer

2. Find a new Humana-listed PCP who could/would refer to my ophthalmologist and surgeon.

I opted for Number 2.

The catch was that, PCP #1 said, I would have to either
(a) contact each PCP individually and ask "Do you refer to Specialist 1 and Specialist 2?" or
(b) contact each specialist and ask "Do you receive referrals from one or more of the following Humana-listed PCPs?"

I'm paying Humana more than $100-a-month AND Medicare is paying a substantially greater amount to Humana for "geezer care." That being the case - and, again, never encountering this problem with AvMed - my position was: Not my job.

I'm confident that Humana can, within a maximum of 5 minutes, plug PCP and specialist information into a computer and have it sort who refers to whom.

Meanwhile, the cataract is becoming as "ripe" as a two-week old tomato.

In the end I did some research on my PCP options. Three of the four have lousy on-line references; I discounted these since most people prefer to complain rather than praise (I am not "most people" and I have high praise for my practitioners.)

I made up a questionnaire for the PCP candidates:

Do you refer to the following specialists?

My thought was that how the questionnaire was handled would tell me a lot about the office and, indirectly, the practitioner.

Two of the PCP candidates were located near my favorite medical lab. (My meds force me to visit the lab four times-a-year.)

When I showed up around 10 a.m. there was no available parking. There were a few "Reserved for Physician" slots, but a four-story parking garage and surrounding surface parking was filled to capacity. (I get to the med lab at 7:30 so there is never a parking problem.)

On to the third candidate.

I had the address and I know my city. But I never found the practitioner's office.

On to the last - and most distant from my residence - candidate. This practitioner had no "knocks" on the WWW.

Lots of off-street parking.

I go to the receptionist and explain that I have a questionnaire about referrals.

Immediately I am told to go inside and talk directly with Melissa, the Sweet Young Thing (SYT) that handles referrals.

I present my list and to my surprise I'm told "We refer to all of these doctors." (The list included three orthopedic surgeons.)

When I explained my query about the orthopedic surgeons she volunteered that one of the surgeons specialized in hands and shoulders and one was hips and legs; she didn't know the third's area of interest.

On the way out I asked a waiting patient what she thought of the practice: her response was positive.

I contacted Humana by phone and set Leung Healthcare as my new PCP. I was told I would get a new card in about 14 days. The card arrived the other day; so far the ONLY thing Humana has done in a timely manner.

And, an added benefit with this new PCP's practice: it also works with AvMed.

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for Humana's promised paper letter.

It is almost Adar Bet Time to PANIC!

Pesach is almost here

It's Sunday morning, the 23rd of Adar Aleph (Adar 1) .

There are seven more days left in Adar 1 (not counting today.)

Purim falls on the 14th of Adar - Adar Bet (2) if there is an Adar Bet otherwise the 14th of Adar 1.

Doing the math, I see we have 21 days before Purim.

We haven't yet even lost an hour on the clock as the government messes with our minds.

But The Spouse went into

PESACH PANIC MODE

She'll remain in this mode until Mimunah, when all of our friends suddenly become "Moroccans for a night." (Wonderful time.)

Now we have a smallish house - two bedrooms and the office, plus a couple of bathrooms and a two-car garage that can't be used for cars due to all the other "stuff" inside: sukkah wood, gas burner for frying Friday night fish; the usual things one finds in a Jewish family's garage.

She is not quite as bad as her mother used to be. Mother-in-Law, whom I love dearly, used to whitewash all the walls of the quarters she shared with her late husband. Wiping down the walls, as my "modern" wife does, was insufficient for my M -  I -  L.

Sara tackled the guest room today.

The furniture is moved.

The mattress and innersprings are tipped out of the bed frames. We argue: does she help me or does she not? I win; she does not. The slats are removed.

First she does a "once over lightly" with a dust mop, then comes the furniture polish and rag to get into every nook and cranny of the bed frame.

Meanwhile, I bring out the 6-foot A-frame ladder to dust the ceiling fan's blades and light fixture.

Before the innersprings can be restored to their position, she wipes it down: top, bottom, and sides.

Next comes the mattress; same procedure.

Now the floor is attacked where furniture will once again be placed. Fortunately, several years go (about this time of year on the Jewish calendar if I recollect correctly), I bought and installed "sliders" under the corners of all the furniture. (I used a floor jack to raise the bed, corner by corner.)

The vacuum is silenced and I bring in the small three-tier step-stool to being down the curtain rod and the curtains hanging from it. Off come the curtains - dainty things - and soon are in the washing machine.

Meanwhile, the mattress pad and bed covers had been airing out in the driveway (we're forbidden by the mafia that controls the Homeowners Association to have clothes lines in the backyard so putting the stuff in front is a bit of "Residents' Revenge"; prohibiting clothes lines hidden in the back yard makes a lot of sense in south Florida where a wash can dry in 30 minutes or less.).

The Spouse busies herself with "other things" until the wash is done.

Once washed and dried in a non-environmentally friendly electric dryer, the curtains are restored to their normal location and the floor is (re-)vacuumed; no footprints allowed.

This week I have the pleasure of Pesach prepping the office.

Mind, hametz is strictly forbidden in the office. Weak cold tea and hot coffee are the only things allowed from the kitchen to the office. I even remember to "de-crumb" myself before approaching the room. (My wife is not the only crazy one in the family.)

I don't mind doing the office. It's my space and I can put things where they are convenient for me. It does necessitate getting on the small, 3-tier ladder to reach some pictures and to move around some "must have close at hand" books. Once back on the floor, I get to empty each drawer, dust it inside and out, and - having dusted each item that was in the drawer, return the item . . . to be forgotten until next year. (Is there hametz in a dry erase marker? Would a dog eat it if there were?)

Once I'm done with the office my next job puts me back on the 6-foot A-frame ladder dusting the hanukiah (Hanukah menorahs) collection and the walls on which they sit. There are (now) only about 20 hanukiote; there were more, but when the kids moved into their own homes they took their favorites with them.

For me, the rest is all downhill. Empty, dust, and refill my clothes drawers; hose down the outside of the windows (and spray the accordion shutters with their annual shot of lubricant while I'm at it).

Finally, wash the cars, pull out and wash all the mats and wash them.

But I have to hurry. Purim is only 21 days away and from then to Pesach . . .

Funny thing is, we do not envy our neighbors who either limit cleaning to the kitchen and dining room or the folks who wink at "spring cleaning" and hide their hametz behind taped kitchen doors.

With our grand-daughter in Israel, all this pre-Pesach prep makes up a little for not having any small hands to help in the search for hametz - we do it, but it's no fun.

How does it look In your synagogue?

Rabbi Marc D. Angel, in his start-of-the-week email, writes about the beauty of the Sanctuary and then asks:

What would happen, though, if upon entering the sanctuary the worshiper found papers strewn on the floor or other litter scattered about randomly? What impression would be made if the priests arrived late for the service, or if they chatted and joked with each other? What if the High Priest was busy reading a book rather than attending to the ceremonies of the sanctuary? What if the others who attended the sanctuary were busy socializing rather than focusing on the service?

In synagogues that are used exclusively as synagogues, order usually prevails.

That doesn't mean you won't find someone reading something other than a sedur or humash, but you won't normally find books and flyers scattered on tables and chairs.

But when the synagogue also is a bet midrash - a study hall - then as Star Trek's Hikaru Sulu (George Takei)would say, "Oh my."

I usually unlock the door to the netz (sunrise) minyan where I don tallit and tefillin.

I know that when I flip on the lights I'll be greeted by books of various types - talmuds, humashim, musar - scattered on many, if not all, tables.

No one, it seems, knows how to return a book to its place.

Where there are no books, very often tallit/tefillin bags are left on the tables. That's not so bad IF the owners show up for the minyan. Since the synagogue now has a late minyan, it would be nice of the folks from either minyan would find a place for their gear other than on the shared tables. We don't buy seats so there is no proprietary ownership; first come, first served or, alternatively, "you snooze, you loose."

Most of the congregants are Americans of Mizrahi (Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi) descent; a few are ex-pat Israelis who did time in the IDF. Likewise, most have gone from Mommy to Wife and - apparently - never learned to pick up after themselves. I'm not sure this behavior is limited to Mizrahi males or even males who missed out on spending time with the military - Israel, U.S., or otherwise.

(Yes, Virginia, I did play at being military, serving in the USAF back as America "transitioned" from the "police action" in Korea to "military advisory groups" in Vietnam, and yes, Virginia, I DO return books I use to their place.)

R. Angel goes on to note that:

"The physical sanctuary was still beautiful. The priestly robes were still glorious. But somehow, the sense of holiness would be dramatically missing. What makes holiness is not merely the physical structure or priestly garments or technical ceremony: holiness is evoked by the spirit of reverence which people bring to the sanctuary. If the ingredient of holiness is missing from the participants in the service, then the physical beauty and splendor become empty shells. The body may be intact, but the soul is missing.

"The Mishkan and the later Temples in Jerusalem set the model for Jewish worship. The physical structures and accouterments were splendid; and the spiritual content of the service was to be conducted with proper devotion. When the spirit of holiness was absent among the priests and among the people, the Divine Presence itself was driven from the Temple.

"The Shulhan Arukh, the classic code of Jewish law, has a special section on the sanctity of the synagogue (Orah Hayyim 151). The laws underscore the separateness and specialness of this sacred structure. It is forbidden to act in a light-headed fashion in synagogues. Silly laughter, extraneous conversation, eating and drinking are forbidden in these holy places. If one finds people talking and joking, one feels that the holiness of the synagogue has been defiled. (Emphasis mine)

"The sanctity of synagogues is not only exemplified by the rules governing behavior within them; the physical structure must be respected. The Shulhan Arukh notes that it is customary to keep synagogues clean and to light candles in them as a sign of honor. If one enters a synagogue and sees papers, books and prayer shawls strewn around, one feels that the sanctuary has been diminished."

When it comes to talking, no one group seems to have a franchise. I'm told Ashkenazim talk as much as - perhaps more - than Sefardim and Mizrachim. I left a congregation partly because of the constant chatter during services. (Several of the talkers followed me to my new minyan and even the rabbi has been known to chat with members during korbanote.)

After all, synagogue is a social club, right?

I encourage my friends who want to chat to take the conversations outside (as long as we have 10 for kadish). It's OK is someone has pressing business that cannot wait until after Aleynu - some folks have to be at work early and consequently cannot hang around to the end.

If anyone wants to turn the synagogue into a social club, let them come before or after services.

As for this scrivener, when I open the door in the morning, I grab a copy of Rambam's Mishneh Torah (I'm on the second of five books now) - read until time for korbanote and just before donning tallit and tefillin, I put the book back in its place on the shelf. I really do "practice what I preach."

Change you passwords frequently.

Why is it? Good doctors, Lousy office help

I've been looking for a new Primary Care Physician (PCP).

I found one; go to How I selected my new PCP to read how I decided.

Thanks to the internet I can learn what other people think about the physicians and their staffs.

Most rate the practitioner "6" or above on a scale of 1 to 10, but most also rate the practitioner's office staff in a minus scale.

Such was the case with my former PCP.

The doctor was a solid "10."

The office staff also was a 10, but a MINUS 10. My spouse is so frustrated with the non-medical staff she is threatening to abandon the PCP. I have complained to the office manager on more than one occasion; I get promises, but no improvement.

Maybe it is just PCPs that can't seem to hire competent people.

My specialists do better - much better.

Do the specialists pay their non-medical staffs better than a PCP?

Do they have less patient load (probably).

My vascular surgeon has a non-medical office staff of three. They work for 3 surgeons.

They are competent and personable.

My ophthalmologist has a larger office staff to support two doctors and a large technical staff. While there has been some turnover during the last several years, the non-medical staff remains competent and personable.

I just "researched" four prospective PCPs. Without exception patients complained about the non-medical staff. (In once case, they also complained about the practitioner. When the complaints greatly outnumber the kudos it's time to take them seriously.)

The question is: "Why are PCP administrative personnel rude and incompetent?"

One reason advanced is that the PCP's practice is so large - possibly thousands of patients - that the non-medical staff simply is overwhelmed.

The question then becomes: "Since the practices live on insurance payments, why don't the insurance companies, and Medicare where Medicare is accepted, threaten and then remove the practice from the list of providers?" That may be the reason my former PCP was delisted by the Medicare Advantage program I used at the time. Unfortunately, even though delisted, the non-medical staff is, if anything, worse than before.

Granted it is more likely to read complaints about a practitioner and the practitioner's non-medical staff than it is to read compliments. We take good service as a given; when it is lacking, we complain.

A lot of the problems with the non-medical operations in a practice - based on personal experience and on-line reports by others - is simply due to carelessness.

For example: Patient changes insurance provider. When the patient shows up for a doctor visit, the patient informs the receptionist and gives her the new insurance card.

In this particular instance, the insurance card is scanned into the system, along with the patient's mug shot (some places scan a photo ID rather than take a picture).

The patient has some tests performed in the PCP's office and the PREVIOUS insurance company is billed. The former company rejects the claim and the practice goes after the patient: "Your insurance rejected the claim." Duh! Of course the claim was rejected; the practice ignored the patient-provided new information.

Later the same practice managed to send a bill for services rendered to another patient with a similar name. (I'd hate to have these people handing out meds on a hospital ward!)

Years ago, I was an Air Force medic whose "specialty" was "medical administration" - the code back then was 90*30, the "*" indicating the skill level. We were not computerized and had to keep track of every patient in a rather large hospital that served two Air Force bases and a nearby Navy station. We had military, dependents, and VA patients. Some - officers and dependents - paid a daily rate for their stays in the hospital; VA was billed for its patients.

Medical records had to be maintained - on paper - for each patient. Unlike today's PCP, we accepted patients 24*7*365; no "If this is an emergency, call 9-1-1."

Now, while most PCPs still maintain paper folders for their patients, they also keep their records on computers (one hopes the data are backed up and archived in a HIPAA-compliant manner.)

Why is it, then, that in the PCP world there are so many non-medical department snafus? No one would tolerate such sloppiness on the part of the medical staff. Imagine a doctor ordering a medication for a patient and then the doctor's assistant administering a different, perhaps contra-indicated, medication.

To repeat what I suggested earlier, perhaps the insurance companies that pay these doctors need to take a look not only at doctor-patient cost effectiveness (cost is, after all, the primary concern of the insurers) but at the practice's non-medical operation as well.

How I selected my new PCP

I selected four practitioners from the insurance company's book. All were within "reasonable" distance to my residence.

I checked on each practitioner on line. Of the four, only one had no complaints about either the practitioner OR the office staff.

Still, few people go on line to compliment anyone or any thing, so while I took the complaints into consideration, I decided to visit each of the Final Four.

Two are close together and near my preferred medical lab.

10:30 a.m. and ALL non-reserved parking spots near their offices are full. (The medical lab opens at 7:30 so I'm in and out before any doctors office opens at 8 or 9 or ?)

Neither of these two almost co-located practitioners had a majority of "good" patient ratings.

I never found the third practitioner's office.

The fourth practitioner's office was right where I expected it to me. (No need for MapQuest of Google Maps; I know my city.)

Parking? Not a problem.

Walked into the office and was immediately greeted by the receptionist.

I explained that I wanted to know if the practitioner could refer me to several specific specialists.

"Come inside and see Melissa, the referrals person."

Graciously greeted by Melissa, I presented her with my list of specialists to which she said her boss refers to all of them. She even told me which of the orthopedic specialists was the best for my particular problem and why another was not - he specialized in hands and shoulders; my complaint is lower than that.

On my way out I asked a woman in the waiting room what she thought about the practice. She replied my new PCP has been her practitioner for years and she's happy.

The doctor's office is nothing fancy and the doctor himself is hardly a Marcus Welby* look alike, but from what I saw this morning, we may be in for a long, healthy relationship.

How easy was it to change a Humana PCP?

I never found a way to do this via the WWW so I finally broke down and called Humana Customer Service. After the usual Voice Response System's 20 (unrelated to my call) questions I FINALLY talked with a CS rep. It took him about 5 minutes to make the change - which will, as I knew it would, take effect at the first of next month - about the time my new patient ID card will arrive.

Robert Young as Dr. Marcus Welby (right)
and James Brolin as Dr. Steven Kiley.

Clear the air In the courts

Day in court for Yoshiyahu Pinto may reveal truth

An article in Israel HaYom is heded "AG: No deal with scandal-ridden rabbi, case to go to court ". The teaser under the hed reads: Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto fails to convince officials he should be let off the hook in corruption case in exchange for damning information on senior police officer • Pinto allegedly tried to obstruct probe into possible campaign finance violations overseas.

I don't know if Pinto is guilty of anything in Israel or in the U.S. or, for that matter, anywhere else.

I do know there has been an inordinate amount of conjecture and that there are too many people with too little to do lined up on both sides of the issue(s).

At one time, if it was even suggested that a rabbi was involved in a nefarious act, the rabbi was shunted aside. Guilty or not, the fact that the rabbi's name was besmirched was sufficient.

Today, that's not the case.

Why?

With today's ability to send a rumor or accusation - false or not - to the eyes and ears of millions via the internet, it's easy of a malcontent to publish anything "to the world."

No one bothers to check facts. Immediately people take sides; forces line up like opposing armies ready to defend their positions. It is extremely hard for a person to back down and admit that perhaps - just "perhaps" - he or see lacks all the facts and maybe - just "maybe" - the decision to stand on this side or that of the fence was made in too much haste.

I would like to see Pinot vindicated. He is from a famous Moroccan family, a relative of Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira (aka Baba Sali) to whom, at least as far as I know, no scandal ever was associated.

Hopefully - בע''ה - the Israeli court will look at Pinto and his accusers as "just another group of litigants standing before the bench" and will treat both sides impartially.

Let both sides present their cases; clear the air. If the prosecution claims Pinto did something, allow Pinto the opportunity to refute the prosecution.

I know the Israeli court system isn't the same as the U.S. court system - it's closer to the English system on which it is based - but one hopes that when the gavel bangs for the final time that both sides will be satisfied with the verdict.

What's in a word? "Gay" marriage

I have two problems with "gay marriage"; both are semantic.

I'm not sure when the word "gay" got high jacked to mean "homosexual" but I want my word back. "Gay" meant, and should mean, "happy." Even Merriam -Webster's on-line dictionary agrees.

"Marriage" back in the day meant a sanctioned carnal relationship between one man and one woman, Mormons excepted.

Now we have "gay marriage."

I am unequivocally against "gay marriage."

I am not opposed to giving homosexuals the benefits extended to heterosexual married couples, nor am I opposed to giving unwed heterosexual couples the same benefits (and Disadvantages), assuming there is come type contract/binding agreement between the individuals. Perhaps states could consider cohabiting homosexuals as common law spouses as they do cohabiting heterosexuals.

Just don't call it "marriage."

Call it a "civil union" with each party identified as the other party's "significant other." For homosexuals, that neatly eliminates the question of who is the "husband" and who is the "wife."

If one partner is hospitalized, the other partner should be able to visit "as if" they were a married couple. If the couple has a conjugal contract of any type, inheritance laws should treat the survivor "as if" the survivor was the deceased spouse.

When I was in grammar school, "queer" meant "unusual, strange." Then it morphed into a term for homosexuals because, years ago, homosexuals who came out of the closet were "different, strange." "Queer" was a convenient term; it included both male and female; now we have distinctions: gay and lesbian (bi-sexual for people who aren't sure, and transgender for folks moving one way or the other) - GLBT.

By the way, it should be "trans-sexual" rather than "transgender." Gender relates to plants and words; "sex" is limited to human beings - it's better that way. 'Course the slang "tranny" eliminates the "sex" problem . . . and also moves the thought from automotive transmissions - trannys - to homo sapiens.

But "queer," unlike "honky" is not "PC" and we must be PC. 'Course intra-group, all labels are acceptable; rather like a non-Jew telling a Jewish joke - it's not "PC" no matter that the non-Jew heard it first from a Jew's mouth.

I know most languages - except maybe French - are "living languages" subject to change.

The problem with the redefining of words such as "gay," "marriage", and "queer" is this shows a lack of vocabulary skills on the part of redefiners. Where are the Bill Buckleys, Gore Vidals, Winston Churchills, Abba Ebans, or even a Howard Cosell to either enlighten us with extant words for "this and that" or to coin words for "this and that"? Only people ignorant of their language highjack words to redefine them in their own narrow provincialisms.

Interesting aside. In Hebrew, "vocabulary" is אוצר מלים.

מלים (me'leem) means "words" while אוצר (ot-zer) means "treasury" - I can't think of a better description for "vocabulary." It's a pity that some people's "treasuries" are so bereft of words.

Humana Medicare Advantage plan But it LOOKED Good on the web

Last October I changed Medicare Advantage providers.

My previous provider cancelled my Primary Care Provider's (PCP) practice.

I was loyal to the practitioner; I credit him with saving my life. On the other hand, the practice's office staff leaves more than a little to be desired; the word "incompetent" comes to mind; if I were not a gentleman I would suggest the old military acronym "SNAFU," but I'm polite so I'll forego the term.

Anyway, for reasons known only to the practice and AvMed, my previous Medicare Advantage provider, the insurer dropped the practice. I was left with several options:

1. Find a new plan that listed my PCP
2. Keep AvMed and find a new PCP from its list
3. Find a new plan and a new PCP

Ever since I signed up with AvMed I checked other plans during the annual sign-up period. I never found any to compare with AvMed, and my experience with the company has been better than pretty good. There were some hiccups, but since I had the email addresses of company executives and since the executives were responsive, all issues were resolved fairly quickly. (The email addresses and snail mail addresses were included in every AvMed customer newsletter.)

But, given that I was unhappy with AvMed's chutzpah to cancel MY PCP I checked out many other Advantage programs in my area. Since there are many geezers in my area there likewise are many plans.

I talked to a Sweet Young Thing at Blue Cro$$/Blue $hield. I rated BC/BS as "greedy." (Providers get substantially more from our favorite uncle (Sam) than a geezer's $104 and change-a-month.)

Humana caught my attention by its incessant advertising on the radio-with-a-picture.

What the heck; I'll check out the Humana site.

According to its on-line providers list, it had my ophthalmologist and vascular surgeon, two practitioners I see at least annually. Surprise, the co-pays to see a specialist were $20 less than AvMed.

I next went through the PCP options and found one I thought would be copacetic. We even interviewed each other before I signed on with Humana. Nice guy. Been around awhile. When I put my John Henry on Humana's dotted line and became a Humana client I named this practitioner as my PCP.

So far so good.

Most Medicare Advantage programs - now including AvMed - require a PCP to

     (a)    Determine if a referral is medically necessary

     (b)    Apply for an authorization to refer the patient to a specialist or for more than routine lab procedures

     (c)    Refer the patient to the specialist (or medical lab).

Meeting with my new PCP since I became a Humana client I asked for two referrals, one to my vascular surgeon and one to my ophthalmologist. The surgeon performed an open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair and my visit was my anniversary follow-up. That referral was approved.

The ophthalmologist was a different matter.

First I had to have a refraction by an OD (optometrist) and then if the PCP was satisfied that I needed to see an ophthalmologist he would appeal to Humana for authorization to allow me to see an ophthalmologist.

The OD told the PCP that he considered my cataracts ripe for surgery.

Then the PCP told me he could not refer me to my ophthalmologist.

Why not? The man is listed as a Humana provider - TWICE.

"Well," the PCP said, "Humana tells me to whom I can refer and your ophthalmologist is not on my list."

LUDICROUS !

My Humana PCP is prohibited from referring me to a Humana-listed specialist.

The PCP called me at home and explained his situation and offered me two options:

1. Accept a new ophthalmologist, one to whom the PCP could refer
2. Find a PCP that could refer to my ophthalmologist.

In the latter case the PCP told me to check with potential PCPs on Humana's list and to check with the specialists to see who is allowed to refer to whom.

Bothering prospective PCPs or my specialists is NOT the client's job.

Humana has a "Contact Humana" web mail on its site. I used the web mail to ask Humana which of my prospective PCPS could refer to my specialists.

This was the second time I had to contact Humana.. The first time it took three tries before I got a response and an excuse: "We've been busy." Sounds like poor management to this customer.

So - after two weeks, I still am waiting for a reply from Humana . Not a difficult question and one that Humana should be able to answer with little effort.

PCPs A, C, E can refer to Specialists 1 and 2.

I finally gave up and sent a real, paper, letter to Humana. We're about to go into Week 2 of no response (Week 3 for the web mail query).

Somehow I came across the name of a person who claims on LinkedIn that she is the Director of Customer Relations for Humana. UNFORTUNATELY there was no address to contact the woman. Humana carefully hides the people in charge - unlike AvMed.

It's a pity that potential clients can't pretend to be clients to see how responsive the vendor is to customer inquiries. Had I suspected Humana to be so customer UNfriendly I would have stayed with AvMed and paid a slightly higher co-pay for specialist visits and Tier 3 prescriptions. (I don't visit specialists all that often and the difference for a year's worth of my costly meds is $100; overall, a small price to pay to have a Medicare Advantage provider that doesn't hide from its clients.)

If, at this point, anyone would ask me if I would recommend Humana, my answer would be an empathetic NO.

I watched as AvMed dropped and then restored my ophthalmologist so I have some minor hope that it will relist my original PCP. (If only his practice could straighten out the administration side.)

Boycott China

Instead of boycotting Israeli products we ought to be boycotting Chinese products.

What has China sent us?

 

CFLs

The U.S. government banned manufacture and import of incandescent bulbs by fiat effective January 1, 2014. See Why people still use inefficient incandescent light bulbs in USA Today.

The hype for the CFL, as presented in the USA Today piece, is:

"An incandescent bulb can cost as little as 70 cents. Meanwhile, a CFL bulb sells for at least a few dollars and an LED starts at $10 but usually runs around $20.

"The problem with incandescents is you end up paying more in electricity costs. Incandescents are inefficient – 90% of the energy goes toward heat and only 10% toward light.

"Incandescents also don't last as long as CFLs and LEDs. The typical incandescent bulb lasts about 1,000 hours, while a 15-watt CFL bulb lasts 10,000 hours and a 12-watt LED bulb lasts 25,000 hours. In other words, incandescents last about a year while CFLs can last 10 years and LEDs up to 25."

Note that none of the above is attributed; no sources cited. As a former newspaper reporter and editor, my suspicions are that the hype came from a PR practitioner's dream.

Unfortunately, the quality claimed in the article has not been my experience. Given the cost of CFLs and the rate of failure - lamps-per-package - the cost is far more than the price paid..

Where do these bulbs originate?

China, of course.

A check at Global Sources lists multiple manufacturers - all in China.

The Michigan Department of Community Health notes that "A CFL bulb is made of glass, a ceramic and metal base, a powder called phosphor, and a small amount of mercury.

"The mercury in the bulb is in the form of an invisible vapor or as part of the phosphor coating on the inside of the glass.

"The amount of mercury vapor that is released from one broken CFL bulb is not enough to make anyone sick. However, to avoid any exposure to mercury, we recommend that you leave the

room for at least 15 minutes before cleaning up the broken bulb. If you can, open a door or window to the outside to let fresh air into the room where the bulb was broken.

"Although CFLs are safe to use, we recommend that pregnant women and children under six years of age are around mercury as little as possible.

"If the light bulb will be used in play areas, such as children’s bedrooms or playrooms, where there is greater risk that a bulb may be broken, you may want to consider using standard light bulbs or LED bulbs.

"LED bulbs, or light emitting diode bulbs, do not contain mercury and offer greater energy savings than both standard and CFL bulbs." (Michigan Department of Community Health)

According to the Scientific American Web site:

"As effective as it is at enabling white light, however, mercury—sometimes called quicksilver—is also highly toxic. It is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. That's why officials have curtailed or banned its use in applications from thermometers to automotive and thermostat switches. (A single thermostat switch, still common in many homes, may contain 3,000 milligrams (0.1 ounce) of mercury, or as much as 600 compact fluorescents.)

"Jim Berlow, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division, recommends starting by opening the windows and stepping outside. "Any problems at all frequently are handled for the most part by quickly ventilating the room," he says. "Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out. If you have a central heating system or an HVAC [heating, ventilating and air-conditioning] system, you don't want it sucking the fumes around, so shut that down."

"The important thing is not to touch the heavy metal. After airing out the room, the larger pieces of the bulb should be scooped off hard surfaces with stiff paper or cardboard or picked up off carpeted surfaces with gloves to avoid contact. Use sticky tape or duct tape to pick up smaller fragments; then, on hard surfaces, wipe down the area with a damp paper towel or a wet wipe. All materials should be placed in a sealable plastic bag or, even better, in a glass jar with a metal lid."

Drywall that contains high levels of sulfur

Over 3,000 homeowners have reported that drywall imported from China has caused health problems and metal corrosion in their homes. The contaminated drywall has high levels of sulfur, which may be responsible for a rotten egg smell in affected homes, blackened or corroded pipes, failure of air conditioners and other household appliances, and health problems such as asthma, coughing, headaches, sore throats, and irritated eyes. (See NOLO)

 

Flammable pajamas for children

In one of many cases, the Consumer Product Safety Commission ordered the recall of about 12,000 pairs of Chinese-made children's pajamas manufactured for one clothier in the U.S.
The CPSC cited "The pajamas fail to meet the federal flammability standards for children’s sleepwear, posing a risk of burn injury to children" as the reason for the recall. (CSPC.)

In another case, the CPSC ordered the recall of an additional 6,000 units shipped to another clothier in the U.S.

 

Flame retardant chemical residue

And when the Chinese DO apply flame retardant chemicals . . .

"The black-and-white notice that a fire retardant has been applied adorns an array of children's products, including car seats, strollers and baby changing mats as well as home furniture. It might as well be a red flag, according to many health experts who caution that the added chemicals likely pose a greater health risk than any flames they might fend off. Common flame retardants have been linked with learning disorders, reduced fertility and cancer, they say, and non-chemical alternatives do exist.

'Protecting children from fire doesn't require exposing them to toxic chemicals,' said Ivy Sager-Rosenthal, campaign director for the nonprofit Washington Toxics Coalition."(Huntington Post)

 

Tires lacking material to prevent tread separation

Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co., based in Hangzhou, China, built the tires for Foreign Tire Sales with inadequate gum strips, used to prevent tread separation, or none at all, Foreign Tire Sales said in a statement to the safety agency.

The Chinese company "unilaterally changed the construction" after its product passed federal tests without telling Foreign Tire Sales about the change, the U.S. company told the government agency, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The flaw is present in about 450,000 tires sold to the New Jersey company and an unknown number sent to other distributors, Foreign Tire Sales said.

The problem is that Foreign Tire Sales says it can't afford a recall. "FTS recognizes that a complete product recall might be in order," the company said in a June 11 letter to the safety agency. "Such a recall would force FTS to file for bankruptcy." (Car and Driver)

 

Toys with banned lead paint

Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, recalled nearly one million toys in the United States today because the products are covered in lead paint.

According to Mattel, all the toys were made by a contract manufacturer in China.

The recall, the second biggest this year involving toys, covers 83 products including Sesame Street and Nickelodeon.

Mattel says it prevented more than two-thirds of the 967,000 affected toys from reaching consumers by stopping the products in its distribution centers and contacting retailers But more than 300,000 of the tainted toys have been bought by consumers in the United States. (New York Times)

Bottom line

If the product is made in China, or if the origin of the product is unknown, consider buying something else. In the case of CFLs, the U.S. has allowed China to corner the market so we are "stuck" with lamps that burn out long before they should.

Given the country's lack of QA/QC and cavalier attitude toward safety and reliability, any time you buy a product "Made in China" you are taking a risk. For my part, if there is an alternative source, I'll prefer it.

If innocent Why seek immunity?

Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto is accused of financial crimes in Israel and elsewhere.

Whether or not he is innocent or guilty is a question for the courts.

But Pinto's recent action in Israel must cause all but his most loyal followers to question the man's integrity.

Pinto has told Israeli authorities he is willing to testify against a now-former Israeli police official, Maj. Gen. Menashe Arbiv, if the state will give him immunity from bribery of a police officer.

According to the left-wing Israeli newspaper HaAretz,

Pinto is suspected of attempting to bribe a senior police officer, Ephraim Bracha, who was close to the rabbi and is today the commander of the National Fraud Squad, by offering him 200,000 shekels (about $57,000) in exchange for information about an investigation of the Hazon Yeshaya nonprofit association, which Pinto headed.

Bracha immediately reported the offer to his superiors, who wired him to document the alleged bribery attempt. Pinto and his associates say that he and Bracha had a lengthy relationship during which the rabbi had supported the officer financially. These claims were investigated by top prosecutors, who said there was nothing to them.

If there "was nothing to them," why would Pinto seek immunity in Israel?

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the New York Times reports that Pinto is a figure in the federal inquiry into the campaign of Representative Michael G. Grimm of Staten Island has been put under house arrest in Israel in a bribery and money-laundering investigation there, the Israeli police said on Friday.

The United States attorney’s office in Brooklyn is looking into the improper donations. Robert Nardoza, a spokesman for the United States attorney’s office, declined to comment on the effects the Israeli investigation might have on his efforts.

I am not privy to all of the the claims and counter-claims, but is seems to me even the hint of scandal should never touch a rabbi, most certainly not a rabbi of some local, national, and - in Pinto's case - international fame. It brings disgrace on the rabbinute, already held in contempt by many, disgrace to Moroccans - as Pinto is of Moroccan descent, disgrace to Jews everywhere.

Some might claim Pinto's money is the source of his enemies ' jealousy, but if that is the case, where are the claims against even richer rabbis: Baba Sali's kin, Pinchas Abuhatzeira, allegedly Israeli's richest rabbi with an estimated worth exceeding US$367 million, Yekutiel Abuhatzeira, is number 9 on the wealth list. Cousin Pinto comes in at only number 7 on the list. We don't - perhaps "have not" - heard scandal attached to the other Abuhatzeiras, not to the Ifargans, Yaakov Israel and his sister, Bruia Zvuluni. Likewise, no one is besmirching the names of either the Belz or Gur rabbes, at least not for financial issues. Both men are in the financial "Top Ten" of rabbis in Israel.

I am NOT suggesting that Pinto is guilty of anything - not in the U.S. and not in Israel. What I am stating is that even the hint of dishonestly - true or false - is more than should attach itself to a rabbi, even a rabbi known only to his own small congregation.

Pinto would be wise to put his financial affairs into the hands of a notoriously honest person's hands and, at least for now, remove himself from any control over the wealth.

Pity the current Abuhatzeiras choose to dress like Ashkenazi haridem. They don't have to dress like the Babi Sali, but neither should they dress in Ashkenazi garb.

Just words?

Parashat Tesaveh is the only Parasha in the Torah after the account of Moshe’s birth in which his name does not appear.

Why?

Because when HaShem threatened to destroy us for the golden calf idol, Moses told God Forgive, please, their sin, and if not, erase me from Your book which You have written (Shemot/Exodus 32:32).

According to R. Eli Mansour in his Weekly Parasha Insight http://www.dailyhalacha.com/WeeklyParasha.asp for February 6, 2014, A statement made even on condition – especially when made by a Sadik – has a certain power and will be fulfilled, in one way or another.

Beside HaShem's response to Moses' plea, R. Mansour notes that Yaakob told Laban that the person who stole his idols “shall not live” (Bereshit/Geneses 31:32), and as a result, Rahel, who had taken the idols, died young. The rabbis say that Yehuda declared to Yaakob that he would renounce his share in the next world if he did not bring Binyamin home safely from Egypt. Although he succeeded in bringing Binyamin back, he was nevertheless denied entry into the next world for 250 years until Moshe Rabbenu prayed on his behalf.

A tongue is soft and looks innocuous, but it can be a very dangerous weapon, even against oneself.

He continues that Rav Haim Palachi, the great Rabbi of Izmir, Turkey (1788-1869), once spoke about his righteous grandmother, and described how when she became angry and felt the urge to curse someone, she would exclaim, “Ha’mavet Al Yafrid Benenu” – “Death shall not separate between us.” She accustomed herself to this exclamation so that her mention of “death” would always be made in a positive context. Negative words are so damaging that the Sefer Hasidim (Rabbenu Yehuda Ha’hasid, Germany, late 12th-early 13th century) writes that if one lives near people who curse, he must move away.
This is especially important when it comes to parenting. Unfortunately, many parents speak very harshly when they become aggravated by their children, and make comments such as “I am going to kill you,” “I am going to wring your neck,” and the like. Besides the emotional damage such comments cause to impressionable children, they are also dangerous, plain and simple. We must recognize the unique power of words and ensure to speak with care and discretion, so that our words will bring only blessing and happiness, and not, Heaven forbid, the opposite.

Interestingly, R. Mansour ignored the חָפֵץ חַיִּים in citing famous rabbis who warned against thoughtless speech. Granted, he was more concerned with "lashon hara" (לשון הרע) - words spoken against another person (see http://chofetzchaim.shemayisrael.com/lesson/lesson2.htm).

R. Kagan, a/k/a the Chofetz Chaim, is perhaps best known for his campaign to teach his fellow Jews about the laws of Lashon Hara (forbidden speech). When he was 35 (1873) he published his first book, Chofetz Chaim, which was devoted to this topic. (The name comes from Tehillim (Psalms) 34, “Who is the man that desires life (chofetz chaim)… keep your tongue from evil….” He later published two more books on this subject.

I left all the authors' spellings/transliterations from Hebrew as they appeared in the source documents.

It says, I thought

אם-נדחך הקצה השמים,
משם יקבצך השם אלוהיך
ומשם יקחך

If any of your (kin) are cast to the ends of the heavens
From there He will gather you
And from there He will take you

Deuteronomy 30:4 (Nitzavim) דברום 30:4 (פרשת נצבים); English mostly from the Hertz Soncino humash.

I know some folks who seem to be "at the ends of the heavens" vis-à-vis observance.

Some of their own volition; some due to circumstances over which they have little or no control. The latter are bothered by their lack of observance, but simply don't know how to come closer to Judaism.

As I read the words about 6:30 this morning (I pray with a Netz minyan) I thought of these people.

Many of the people to whom I apply this single verse simply don't know HOW to become more observant. Their "Jewish education" was minimal and as most things, it is a "use it or lose it" knowledge. For others, they have some knowledge and they actually participate in some observances, but they give preference to "other things."

I can understand giving preference to other things, especially when those things are job and family (or family and job), but I wonder if maybe these people couldn’t integrate some level of observance into those "other things." Maybe a blessing before a snack or a quick, two-line nod to the Shema

שמע ישראל השם אלוהנו השם אחד
ברוך שם כבוד מלגותו לעולם ועד

Almost every Jew knows at least the 6 words of the top line, in English if not in Hebrew. (Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.)

Maybe some of these people would like to be a little more observant, but there are no nearby bookstores and maybe, even though they know they can find an online Jewish book store, they have concerns about giving personal and financial information over the Internet. (A valid consideration.)

Siddurim (siddurs) are available online. In Hebrew and in English (and probably other languages as well.) There are siddurim in various nusachim (traditions) and there are siddurim especially for one or another nusach.

What's the difference?

The order of the prayers can vary. Particular prayers may appear in one nusach and not in another; for example, Deuteronomy 30:4 at the top of this blog entry is included in my Moroccan siddurim but not found in the Artscroll for Ashkenazim I have as my "Askenaz reference."

The amazing thing is that, as scattered around the globe as we have been for centuries , so much is similar among the traditions.

Of Pesach/Passover siddurim/hagadot there are a multitude of online options; the Maxwell House hagadah - neither the traditional nor the "modern" (2011) version - is online.

There are (at least) two more items every Jew needs:

A Jewish calendar

A humash - a book containing the Torah ("5 books of Moses), the Prophets, and the Writings.

The online Jewish calendar is needed to

(a) Keep up with the holidays - and Shabat is a holiday that comes 52 times-a-year

(b) To know when the holidays (and Shabat) start and end

(c) To know what Torah portion and the related haftarah (Prophets) is read on a particular week.

As with siddurim, there are multiple Jewish calendars available online.

The third thing every Jew needs is a humash. "Hamash" means "five" and "humash" is one of the names of the volume containing the five books of Moses (Torah) and the associated prophetic readings (the "haftarot"). The humash is not a TaNaK (Torah, Prophets, and Writings) , but it does divide the Torah into weekly portions of manageable size. (The weekly Torah portion is read on Shabat (twice) and, in abbreviated form, on Monday and Thursday. )

Unfortunately, there are not many HUMASHIM on line. There ARE many TaNaKs available online, but the TaNaK is not divided into portions for Shabat and (other) holidays.

Online Resources

Online siddurim
The list is NOT "all inclusive"

Online Siddur
Hebrew only; multiple nusachim (styles & order of prayers)
http://www.onlinesiddur.com/

The New Linear Metsudah Siddur (weekday)
Hebrew with interlinear English, nusach Ashkenaz
http://www.chailifeline.org/siddur/full/

Online Siddur with Commentary
English, nusach Chabad-Lubavitch
http://tinyurl.com/n8jk6o8

DavenSpot
Hebrew, several nusachim
http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/sidurim/shaar-2.htm

Avi Chai
Hebrew, nusach Sefard
http://www.sidur.kotar.co.il/

Siddur Audio
Free download, nusach Askenaz
http://sidduraudio.com/

Jewish calendars

Aish
Get times by selected city or ZIP code

Chabad-Lubavitch
Get times by selected city of ZIP code
http://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/month_cdo/jewish/Jewish-Calendar.htm

Online humashim (Torah-Prophets-Writings)
The list is NOT "all inclusive"

Chabad
Hebrew and English
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm

Chabad
Hebrew and English with Rashi's commentaries
http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/63255/jewish/The-Bible-with-Rashi.htm

Oxfam: Politically blind Or anti-peace in Mid-East

It seems hatred of anything "Israel" blinds eyes to reality.

The whole Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel is, at best, short-sighted and, at worst, hinders any possibility of the elusive "peace in the middle east."

Case in point: Oxfam's boycott of SodaStream.

Oxfam is upset because a formerly British company, now owned by Israelis, is situated in what a BBC employee termed an area that "Under most interpretations of international law - although not Israel's - building homes and businesses on such territory is illegal." Never mind that the statement is false; it's the BBC after all.

Oxfam insists - based on input from Palestine Solidarity Campaign , that SodaStream is treating its Palestinian employees badly, that the mere fact the company is located on land (a) originally on the Israeli side of the UN partition plan and (b) captured during Jordan's war of aggression in 1967.

Apparently it was inconvenient for Oxfam and the BBC to visit the SodaStream site in Ma'ale Adumim; perhaps they couldn’t get past the stop sign (see photograph from article, below).

Guess which buildings in the picture are "pre-49" and "post-49." Click on the photo to see a larger version.

The leed paragraph of a Judy Maltz article in the left-leaning Israeli newspaper HaAretz seems to portend a balanced presentation of the Oxfam-SodaStream issue. The reporter wrote:

"SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum on Sunday accused Oxfam of providing funding to the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) campaign against Israel and said that an invitation he recently issued to the president of the organization to visit the company’s West Bank factory had been “ignored.”"

Birnbaum suggested that the reason American actress Scarlett Johansson dumped Oxfam in favor of representing SodaStream was "perhaps because of financial motivations, they are prepared to sacrifice the jobs of 1,300 people, including 950 Palestinians and Arabs, and I cannot see, and she cannot see either, how that would advance peace and humanity in the region.”

The HaAretz article continued:

" In response to this charge, the Oxfam spokesman said: “Oxfam wants to see a just and lasting agreement that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. We support a two-state solution, and we believe that settlements in the West Bank are an obstacle to achieving that peace. Any company located in the settlements contributes to their viability and legitimizes them. This is not about labor practices or SodaStream in particular, but the bigger issue of settlements, which continue to take land and resources from Palestinian communities that we work with. Some Palestinians in the West Bank do find work in Israeli settlements, but this is often because they are restricted from pursuing other livelihoods and have little other choice. For example, Oxfam works in Palestinian farming communities – they have lost much of their land to settlements and they are rarely allowed to build new wells or get enough water. Unable to make a living, their only option is often found in settlement factories and farms, which receive government tax breaks, support, and don’t face any of the restrictions on building and development that Palestinian communities nearby do.” "

When reporters do visit

Unlike the BBC writers working from anti-Israel handouts, a Times of Israel article led off with:

MISHOR ADUMIM, Israel — The SodaStream factory, situated just off the highway leading down from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, was abuzz on Sunday with journalists from across the globe trying to get a glimpse of the action.

"The tour of the carbonated beverage-maker plant was organized especially for curious foreign correspondents on the eve of the Super Bowl, which featured an ad starring its glamorous spokeswoman Scarlett Johansson. The factory, SodaStream’s charismatic US-born CEO Daniel Birnbaum proudly declared, used to produce munitions for the Israeli army. It was bought in 1996 by the fizzy drink start-up, seeking to better the world by doing away with polluting plastic bottles.

The article continues:

Today, the Mishor Adumim plant — the first of eight Israeli locations and 22 worldwide — employs 1,300 workers; 950 Arabs (450 Israeli and 500 Palestinian) and 350 Israeli Jews. Salaries and work benefits — management asserts and workers confirm — are equal for all workers in comparable jobs, regardless of ethnicity or citizenship. The factory secures Israeli work permits for its Palestinian employees as well as rides from their home and back, SodaStream’s Chief Operating Officer Yossi Azarzar told The Times of Israel.

Palestinians and Israelis work at the SodaStream factory in the Mishor Adumim industrial park, February 2, 2014. (Photo credit: Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Birnbaum, the CEO, was clearly cognizant of the dispute. He spoke of Jewish-Arab coexistence as he stood next to a veiled young Arab woman working on the assembly line across from an older woman with a black head covering who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union in 1993.

Zooming in on Birnbaum and the two women, the camera crews and microphone-holding reporters overlooked another young Palestinian woman standing nearby, fitting plastic valves into a large metal tray. Nahida Fares, 28, graduated Nablus’s A-Najjah University in primary school education. She began working for Israeli companies two years ago, when she could find no work in her field in Ramallah, where she lives with her husband and infant child.

“There are no job opportunities in the West Bank,” Fares told The Times of Israel. “Even the jobs that do exist pay no more than NIS 1,500-2,000 ($430-570) a month.” Fares now earns triple those sums. Fares’s husband, a first lieutenant in the Palestinians’ prestigious Preventive Security Force, earns NIS 2,000 ($570) per month after 10 years of service.

According to the "unbiased" BBC

The "unbiased" BBC's Middle East correspondent, Kevin Connolly, pretending to write a news article, slants the issues at once against SodaStream and Israel, quoting selected sources such as Sarah Colborne, campaign director for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Connolly editorializes - writes sans attribution- that:

"The boycott movement is important.

"Supporters of the Palestinians have hit on a tactic that might encourage ordinary consumers to start differentiating products from the factories and farms of Israel on the one hand and Israeli settlements on the other.

"Israel is worried - especially at the prospect of the movement gathering pace if peace talks with the Palestinians collapse."

Possibly what bother's Mr. Connolly is the fact that SodaStream no longer is a English firm. In two of his editorial's opening paragraphs, he opines that:

"The company - now under Israeli ownership - likes to emphasise its green credentials, trading on the idea that making your own cola at home in a re-usable bottle saves plastic bottles and therefore, ultimately, saves the planet.

The SodaStream has always exhibited a Dr Who-style capacity for self-reinvention - it started out as a machine for producing fresh soda water in the homes of the wealthy and well-connected in Edwardian England."

Sources

Kevin Connolly/BBC editorial:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25966781

Judy Miltz/HaAretz article:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.571986

Elhanan Miller/Times of Israel article:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/at-sodastream-palestinians-hope-their-bubble-wont-burst/?utm_source=Start-Up+Daily&utm_campaign=b736272ff2-2014_02_04_SUI2_4_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fb879fad58-b736272ff2-54610173

Stand With Us YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDdH_7GjW40