Saturday, August 24, 2024
Strategy and Tactics
Monday, August 19, 2024
Myth or Miracle ?
Thursday, August 15, 2024
Re : The Librarian
I spoke to her on the phone today. She's fine, both mentally and physically.
She claims being on good terms with her late husband's family, especially with his son.
She was in a hurry to a lecture, and invited me to pay her a visit at her protected facility.
I'm very glad of the conversation with her.
Saturday, August 10, 2024
The Librarian
She was a Holocaust survivor, divorced without children.
I was on good, correct daily terms with her as my room was adjacent to the small library. After her second marriage, I started to greatly appreciate her , for her genuine efforts to integrate in her new husband's family. She was very generous and kind with his two grown up children and their kids.
Despite her vast knowledge and skills, she was not always popular among the library visitors . There was some toughness about her, probably acquired during her Holocaust days, that put people off , so much so that according to gossip she was afraid some won't even show up to her retirement party when the time comes. Well, she was wrong about that . Full attendance, great respect shown to her.
Anyway, she kind of organized her own party as she wasn't pleased with the standard way done by the office .
Indeed, it was something different, and original , at the end of which everyone got a gift from her, a reading book with her dedication. and signature.
After retirement, she and her husband moved to another region, and I lost any contact with her. A few years ago, I heard her husband had died, and that before his death, they had managed to move to a sort of protective facility unit in a proper senior village.
I was curious: now that he was gone, would his children (son and daughter) and grandchildren be kind to her as she was to them? I had no one to ask about it as she sort of estranged herself from our mutual acquaintances.
Last week, she had appeared in my dreams , so I decided to make some inquiries. I tried to contact her through the village phone number and submitted a form filled with my personal details. but, so far, was unsuccessful. I might try later, (in case I don't get any reply from them) to contact her late husband's family to ask about her.
in the library (Ai generated image)
Monday, July 29, 2024
Pompeii
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Engelbert Humperdinck
I thought he was no longer with us, and then, I came upon a piece of news informing the reader that he would be on tour till the end of 2024.
He, the 88 amazing, popular british pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck (professional name), Arnold George Dorsay (real name).
I always had some trouble with pronouncing his professional name (originally the name of a german composer), but I loved his velvety voice and his romantic songs, so, no big effort.
Engel was one of ten children, born in India to a british couple. His wife of 57 years, Patricia Dorsay, with whom he had four children, died in 2021, battling with both Alzheimer and Covid. He was, of course, devastated, by her suffering and death.
Among his famous songs (performed mostly in solo concerts format, but also in duet with other singers) : 'Man without Love', 'Spanish Eyes', 'The last Waltz', 'I can't stop loving you', 'Quando, Quando', and many others. Each of the songs - a pearl of great music, great lyrics and great performance.
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Ticks and Tricks
Recently, there has been an outbreak of West Nilus Virus in Israel.
A few hundred people have been infected , several people (elderly and immuno-compromised) have died. In hebrew, the infection is shortly called 'Kadahat HaNilus' (Nilus Fever).
insects among flowers (AI image)
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Food Security.
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Authority
We all need authority in life; it guides us, protects us, defends us, if neccessary. When we are children and teenagers, we fear/ respect/ obey our parents and teachers. Parents and teachers are the first phase authority.
Saturday, June 22, 2024
Paying Attention
Friday, June 14, 2024
Doomsday Clock
Until quite recenly I knew nothing about the Doomsday Clock . Never heard of it.
Apparently, this clock, set and maintained since 1947 by experts - atomic scientists actually- measures nuclear risks, climate change, biological threats, disruptive / inovative technologies (such as AI).
It's in fact a symbolic clock, an imperfect one, used more as a metaphor than a prediction; still - an important device which draws attention to existential threaths, and might show us how close we are, God Forbid, to destruction.
Sunday, June 9, 2024
The Decline of the Printed News
Whenever I read a news article, I tell myself - that's how decline of journalism looks and feels like. One of the major reasons for this decline is the rise of the competing digital media platforms (internet, mobile phone), but not only.
There seems to be no critical, experienced eye on the material before it gets published - and that sometimes leads to shameful spelling errors, and factual inaccuracies.
We would expect a true journalist to ensure that the facts are correct, verified , balanced, and objective, that the sources on which the published story is based are available to the reader, to make it credible to him. But in most cases, no such thing.
Recently, two well-known journalists were sued by the PM, for writing lies about his health. I'm rather surprised. After all, they, the journalists, should know better than us, the ordinary people, what's possible and what not in this defamation game.
To write about someone's health you should have before your eyes a valid document, such as a doctor's report. They probably didn't have one, but based their assumptions on rumors and speculations.
*(AI image generator)
Sunday, June 2, 2024
The Inseparable Bond
As a young boy, my elder brother Hersh (diminutive version: Hershole), spent a lot of time in the kitchen alone or with Mum. He liked the place and learned in it all aspects of food preparation.
He also liked to be close to Mother, and she to him. During the Holocaust, they got separated ; he as a child of four was put in an orphanage whereas my mother was placed in ghetto Mogilev , Ukraine to face hunger, beating, sickness.
After returning from the Hell of Ukraine, mother and son became inseparable.
Despite his obvious preference for the kitchen, he was not encouraged , though, to choose a culinary profession; it was not considered proper for young men . At that time, young men were persuaded to acquire a technical or commercial line of profession.
Hersh (official name - Herman), liked neither of the above two categories. Besides attraction to culinaria (and to amateur soccer), he had musical aptitudes, and wished to study music, precisely, violin playing. The sad truth was that we lived in a small town with no musical school and possibilities. Culinary professional school or courses were inexistant either. My parents didn't have the means to keep him at studies in another town.
So, he went on studying the violin with a private teacher, and in the meantime studied commerce and accounting to get a certificate that would enable him to start working and earn a living.
Years later, in Israel, he acquired a technical profession too, but lost any ambition for culinaria . He liked to cook for friends and family, displaying his great skills on the matter, but nothing more.
The inseparable bond between mother and son tragically came to an end, in 1998 when Hersh died untimely (at age 58.5) during a tour abroad with his wife. The tragic irony was his final collapse - while watching the Mondial (Soccer World Cup) on TV (soccer being a great passion of his).
After his death I wrote a few words in all my three languages : romanian, hebrew, english.
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Paper Shredder
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Blinken
It seems the camera likes Antony Blinken (America's Secretary of State). I think he knows that, and cooperates with it. His profile looks good in most of the pictures I've seen so far.
Blinken is jewish, and his wife christian. They met at the White House where they were both working for the Obama and Clinton administrations.
At their wedding, the religious service was performed by a rabbi and a priest. (I wonder how that goes...never been to an interfaith wedding ceremony).
According to his biography he is fluent in French (he lived in France for a period of time, with his Mother and her husband , and went to school there). He also plays the guitar and sings.
Not everybody's happy with his guitar playing ('it sucks' , wrote someone). I believe, that with the kind of job he does, the guitar saves him. ( Currently, he's got Israel and Ukraine on his head, two very tough 'clients' !) .
Lately, he was seen in a bar in Kyiv, dressed in jeans and holding a red guitar, performing onstage together with a local rock band in celebration of some more military help given by the USA to Ukraine.
He combines diplomacy with music, and it probably works for him; the two domains somehow complement each other. (Bill Clinton as I recall, was playing saxophone).