General
I just got back from a trip to Mexico and yes – I was in Mexico for Cinco de Mayo.
I wasn’t thinking when I made my plans and it was an accident that my trip coincided with Cinco de Mayo. I was extremely excited when I realized what I did, but also very nervous. I was worried that I would get stuck in traffic, miss my flight home, or not be able to do anything because of the wild insanity and obvious reverie that would hit the streets.
It turns out that I am an ill-informed gringo fool.
As soon as I arrived I asked my hosts if I needed to worry about the upcoming holiday. “What holiday?” They said. “What holiday?” I thought to myself, “You sweet naïve people. Have you forgotten all about your day of national independence?”
I prodded, “Surely you are aware that Saturday is Cinco de Mayo.”
“Cinco de Mayo?” They discussed it amongst themselves. “Oh right, Cinco de Mayo, doesn’t that have something to do with the French?”
French?
“When were the French ever in Mexico?” I thought. “Don’t they realize they speak Spanish?”
Later that night I was giving a talk. I asked the audience about Cinco de Mayo. Their response was the same – first confusion and then talk about the French.
Everywhere I went and with everyone I met, I asked about Cinco de Mayo. It became a big joke, “Silly gringo, ha ha ha, Cinco de Mayo, ha ha ha.” Cinco de Mayo means nothing in Mexico.
I think I was lied to. I was an American in Mexico for Cinco de Mayo, I was excited and nervous, and it is all a big nothing.
It turns out that Mexicans don’t eat burritos* either – what a bummer.
*Burritos are a Tex-Mex treat – from Texas.
May 6th, 2007
Liviu Librescu is a real hero. He survived the Holocaust, fought for academic freedom against the communists in Romania, and died saving his class during the massacre at Viginia Tech.
Librescu, 77, fearlessly braced himself against the door, holding it shut against the gunman in the hall, while students darted to the windows of the second-floor classroom to escape the slaughter, survivors said. He died trying to protect the students.
The cowardice of selfish, murderous scum like Cho Seung-hui stands in stark contrast to the greatness of a hero like Liviu Librescu.
April 17th, 2007
Can you do this? This dude is selling his chometz on eBay. Happy Passover.
March 30th, 2007
Good news, the Pope confirms that hell is real and eternal:
HELL is a place where sinners really do burn in an everlasting fire, and not just a religious symbol designed to galvanize the faithful, Pope Benedict XVI has said.
Addressing a parish gathering in a northern suburb of Rome, the Pope said that in the modern world many people, including some believers, had forgotten that if they failed to “admit blame and promise to sin no more”, they risked “eternal damnation - the inferno”.
Hell “really exists and is eternal, even if nobody talks about it much any more”.
I was getting nervous that maybe hell was just a figment of my imagination. As a Jew, I assume that the Pope probably thinks I am going there, but that is ok – I have been complaining about the cold for a while and hell will probably solve my problems – kind of like an everlasting trip to Miami. I can take that.
The bad news is that in October the Pope expressed issues he has with purgatory calling it “only a theological hypothesis” and not a “definitive truth of the faith.”
Bummer.
March 27th, 2007
I have never been particularly environmentally aware (pro or con) – I just like that global warming could turn Boston into San Diego. But according to this, it seems that the global warming activists are really just at war with “manliness,” and possibly meat eating, which could mean ultimately an outright attack on shwarma. If this is true then I may take up arms and join the polluting, SUV driving, Right Guard spraying masses. There is only so far you can push someone before he snaps.
March 18th, 2007
Why are my neighbors drunk and wearing green today?
At the risk of being xenophobic, according to Wikipedia the shamrock (another drunken green thing bamboozled up and down my block) was a tool used by Pat to explain the trinity to heathens. Additionally, the famous story about the snakes is probably hyperbole, but a useful tale to explain Pat’s success at riding the Isle of pagans.
Hmmm, maybe this is a holiday nice Jewish boys and girls should refrain from celebrating… I mean I like beer and all, and green is the color of spirulina, but….
March 17th, 2007
The Reform Movement is attempting to bully its way into Israeli society and religious life:
Leaders of Reform Judaism from around the world opened a conference in Jerusalem on Thursday whose agenda included a multimillion-dollar expansion of activities in Israel and a demand that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert take steps to officially recognize the movement and its conversions and rabbis.
This attempt is wrong and flies in the face of the democratic principles the Reform Movement claims to espouse.
Like it or not, the reason the views of Orthodox Jewry predominate in Israeli society and law is because the majority of Israelis identify with those values and beliefs. Over 20% of the Kenneset are representatives from specifically “Orthodox” parties (not to mention the Orthodox members from the secular parties); major cities like Jerusalem are not only Orthodox, but also predominantly Charedi (usually translated as “ultra-orthodox” – an incorrect and derogatory term) including the mayor and most of the city council. And while the bulk of the Israeli Sephardi community would not be considered “religious” in Israel, by American standards they would still be basically “Orthodox” (i.e. they keep kosher, would never intermarry, they believe in God and would never pray anywhere but an Orthodox synagogue with separate seating for men and women). The Reform Movement is simply out of touch and for the most part irrelevant to the majority of Israelis.
If Israelis identified as Reform, or even if the Reform Movement could claim a major base of support in Israel, then we would have what to talk about. But they don’t and the Reform Movement should cease trying to strong-arm and pressure the Israeli government into accepting their customs and practices, especially since they are alien and inconsistent with those of the majority of Israelis.
March 15th, 2007
I am not sure if words can describe how awesome this is:
Speaking at the induction of R&B girl group The Ronettes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the dreadlocked, chain-smoking rock dinosaur (Keith Richards) admitted he owed his life to advances in the medical industry.
“There have been great strides made in medical science lately,” he said.
“That’s why I am able to say to you, ‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’.”
I mean – wow. Forget sissy things like diet and exercise – just do like Keith and live forever.
March 14th, 2007
I was driving home tonight listening to the radio – “classic hits from the sixties, seventies, and eighties – the songs you grew up with” (cheesy I know, but they often play cool stuff), when the DJ mentioned this thing about “40 being the new 30.” I nearly drove into a wall, “that’s me – this is my demographic” (I am 39). When did I get to be so old? I think I am still pretty hip. But maybe not.
As shocking as it may seem, I was talking with some youngsters recently about Flavor Flav, and apparently he is a bit of a joke now with his own reality TV show and everything. I mean, I know the clock is a little silly (it was “whack” back in the day as well), but the Flav is half of Public Enemy, and they were incredible. What happened?
Worse though is that it seems that my generation has lost its mind. I didn’t have the patience to read this article, but the trend is basically that people my age (old people) dress, act, and run around like they are still 20 and hip.
Is the whole world crazy? And how did Duran Duran become cool and retro?
March 13th, 2007
For those of you who obsessively follow my professional life, you are probably wondering why I posted the new site for Aish Boston at aishboston.org and not .com.
It has to do with a phenomenon known as “domain squatting” or “cyber squatting.” Domain squatting is when some steals your name, and builds a site as you to target advertising (and send money) to him.
When I went to register aishboston.com, it was already taken by some dude in China. True, I can probably prove that there is some type of trademark violation going on, but I don’t have the time, patience or money to mount the legal attack (especially since I have to fight someone in China). Hence the reason I was forced to go with the unseemly and nerdy .org.
Cyber squatting is an issue currently being dealt with by the UN – this doesn’t make me feel any better for two reasons:
- The UN is useless
- They will eventually prove that it is Israel’s fault (and pass a resolution condemning Israel and calling for an immediate withdrawal from everywhere in order to contain this Jewish cyber menace).
March 13th, 2007
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