Random Thoughts- Do They Have Meaning?

This is day two of the great computer crash of 2009. Of course we need to clarify that great is not being used in a positive sense here. This post is being composed upon my BlackBerry and sent to Posterous. Posterous in turn will distribute it to a few of my blogs. Writing is something I take pleasure in and find to be therapeutic so I am grateful to be able to post in this manner. However it is still unwieldy and cumbersome. Given the choice I would prefer to use my computer and a full size keyboard. I suppose that this is a good time to interject some thoughts about future smartphones and or computers. If I had the ability I would invent a smartphone device that would shrink and expand in size. I envision something that is paper thin and easily fits in your pocket. However it could expand as large as a letter size piece of paper. A large portion would serve as the screen/display. Just beneath would be a full size keyboard. At full size it could be a touchscreen. The large s

Consider this a gentle reminder. When you forward email please remove the header containing all of the prior recipients. In addition to privacy concerns I have no interest in scrolling through two pages of the people who got it before I did. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Posted via email from thejackb's posterous

via youtube.com Something tells me that this is the sort of video that might get a husband in trouble. Posted via web from thejackb's posterous

Every now and then I like to air out the archives and share some of the older stuff with you: Sex & Love- A Father Speaks My Best Writing Instant Messenger Not Quite A Recap- Let's Talk About Body Parts

I work hard to live the life that I teach my kids to live. It doesn't make any sense to me to teach them to do one thing and then have them ask why I do the opposite. That doesn't mean that there aren't times where we play the do as I say not as I do game, but I do my best to minimize it. Anyway, if you have been following along you know that I have been dealing with some computer issues. I have two desktops that just aren't working properly and I can't seem to figure out why. I have run scans to check for spyware and found nothing. The antivirus checks have all been clean too. They have been defragged and the registries have been checked with TLC. And still they are not working properly. So I find myself having reached the end of my rope. My patience has worn thin and now I am cursing at these stupid fucking machines. Remember I said that I try to live the life I teach my children to live. Their abba teaches them to remain calm and run through the checklist

Some need gold and some need diamond rings Or a drug to take away the pain that living brings A promise of a better world to come When whatever here is done I don't need that sky of blue All I know's since I found you, I'm happy when I'm in your arms Happy, darling, come the dark Happy when I taste your kiss I'm happy in a love like this There's a house upon a distant hill Where you can hear the laughter of children ring Guardian angels, they watch from above Watching over the love that they bring But at night I feel the drakness near, I awake and I find you near I'm happy with you in my arms I'm happy with you in my heart Happy when I tatse your kiss I'm happy in love like this In a world of doubt and fear I wake at night and reach to find you near Lost in a dream, you caught me as I fell I want more than just a dream to tell We're born in this world, darling, with few days and trouble never far behind Man and woman

BeFrank is still one of my favorite bloggers. By now he is one of the elder statesmen of the blogosphere. Go check him out .

It is another Post from Posterous.  I grabbed a section of songs from the iTunes shuffle feature. Kind of an odd mix of music, but that is the joy of pulling from the shuffle.    Download now or listen on posterous 1-01 Piano Man.m4a (5241 KB)    Download now or listen on posterous 01 Dream On.m4a (4270 KB)    Download now or listen on posterous 2-01 Bangkok_One Night In Bangkok.m4a (4779 KB)    Download now or listen on posterous 02 Feel Like Makin' Love.m4a (5052 KB) Posted via email from thejackb's posterous

It is several hours now since I broke my fast and I'd like to say that I feel spiritually cleansed, But the reality is that I have an icepick shoved halfway up my right nostril and there is a broken broom handle protruding from a place it doesn't belong. I suppose that is rather graphic, but it accurately describes the affect of having intentionally ignored the joy of my caffiene addiction. I had tried to plan for this, really I had, er did. I cut down on the coffee and refused to drink any on Sunday. It wasn't easy, lately that cup of Joe has brought the sort of smile to my face that intimate contact would. Really, I have had some amazing cups and I have thoroughly enjoyed them, but I digress. Anyhoo, for those of you who have never experienced a day like this let me share a little bit about it. People who fast have dragon breath and short tempers. It is not really surprising. If you don't feed the animals we get cranky. And the lack of food/water creates a lov

My parents have a dear family friend who has become a legend among us for his discovery of the "best" restaurant/car/movie/vacation etc. It reminds me a bit of the cracks people make about Columbus discovering America. It is not like it was unpopulated when he got here. Part of why this friend has become legendary is that he has discovered restaurants that the family has eaten at for years. Somehow he has managed to make this trait endearing and not annoying, don't ask me how. Anyway, if he was a blogger he'd push in front of me to tell you about how cool Posterous is and he would be right. I discovered it around January or so, but I was thick in the middle of doing the Gaza updates and was too busy to check it out. Eventually I got around to taking a looksy and let me tell you, I LOVE IT. It couldn't be easier to use. I especially love how easy it is to work with pictures and videos. It is an excellent complement to the tools I use now and I only wish th

via youtube.com Memories of college............ Posted via web from thejackb's posterous

If you are one of the 17 long time readers you know that I have related more than once my love for basketball and how I am struggling to gracefully accommodate some of the changes that this 40 year-old body demand from me. New aches and pains introduce themselves with more consistency than I care to acknowledge. Little nicks, scrapes and  bruises seem to accumulate with greater frequency and regularity than ever before. What I find especially unfair is that they used to heal instantly and now they hang out as if they are old friends. Not cool I say, uninvited and unwelcome guests I'd kick their asses right to the curb without a second thought. But such power is refused to me. I can't stop the clock. I can't prevent that infernal tick tock noise from continuing. Sometimes I feel like there is an internal clock inside my skull whose ticking I can always hear. It reminds me of conversations with my paternal grandfather, may he rest in peace. Later today I'll go to th

Go now and read Haveil Havalim: Pre-Yom Kippur Edition . It is the best of the Jewish/Israeli blogosphere and it is the only place you are going to find some of this content.

If you spend enough time surfing through the blogosphere you'll find a thousand posts that describe how the author has always felt like they are standing on the outside looking in. A thousand posts in which people share their past and or current anxieties about not being smart/handsome/pretty/rich or good enough. A thousand posts that really help to illustrate that as different as we all are we all have our moments of shame and insecurity. If you are lucky you are one of those people who find a way to gain a level of comfort with who you are and these posts are nothing more than reflective moments about times gone by. I can't speak for anyone else, but I think that I fall somewhere in between. I am very comfortable with a lot of things. I know who I am. I know what my strengths and weaknesses are and what I want out of life. The hard part for me is not identifying those things but trying to determine the best way to achieve them. There are many days where I go to bed exh

Judge dismisses animal cruelty charges against police officer Robert Melia for sex with cows BY Neil Nagraj DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Friday, September 25th 2009, 12:37 PM Via Philly.com Above, a mugshot of Robert Melia. He, with girlfriend Heather Lewis (below) still faces charges relating to alleged sex assaults on three young girls. Philly.com Related News Perhaps the Garden State should switch its nickname to the Barnyard State. A New Jersey judge has dismissed animal cruelty charges against a cop accused of committing a sex act with young cows, saying a grand jury had no way of knowing whether the animals were "tormented." Moorestown police officer Robert Melia, who is currently suspended, allegedly engaged in oral sex acts with five calves in Southampton in 2006. Since New Jersey currently has no law explicitly banning such an act, prosecutors in Burlington county brought animal cruelty charges against Melia, the Philadelphia Daily News reports. Judge Morel

We're still in the process of testing Posterous to see if it merits being added to apps that we use on a regular basis. From a bird's eye view it appears to have a lot of features and functionality that make it worthwhile. I suspect that it is really a matter of taking time to explore and use it for a while before I am able to make an educated decision about it. Again, I ask that you bear with me as we undergo the equivalent of cyber remodeling. Thanks, Jack    Download now or listen on posterous 25 Ten Years Kashmir_ II. (Orchestra.m4a (4035 KB) Mansions Of The Lord by West Point Usma Cadet Glee Club   Download now or listen on posterous Mansions.mp3 (6190 KB)    Download now or listen on posterous 09 Lean On Me.m4a (4047 KB) You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins   Download now or listen on posterous 01_Youre Gonna Mi

via youtube.com I just signed up for a Posterous account. Bear with me as I try to sort out the best way to make use of it. Posted via web from thejackb's posterous

For June wherever she may be- I looked outside and saw our moon. Only one thing was missing...You. Johnny's waiting Fragments of Fiction

In case you are wondering I had intended to record my own tribute but I didn't want to embarrass the professionals with my smooth moves.

A few words about Yom Kippur, six email addresses on my BlackBerry and the iPhone.

"The man who called the Holocaust a lie spoke at this podium. To those who refused to come and to those who left in protest, I commend you. You stood up for moral clarity and you brought honor to your countries. But to those who gave this Holocaust denier a hearing, I say on behalf of my people, the Jewish people, and decent people everywhere — have you no shame? Have you no decency?" Benjamin Netanyahu Well said. Listen to it and think.

I recently received an anonymous email that accused me of having a bad case of blog envy. It seems that they think that I must be very bitter that I don't have more readers and that the brands haven't bequeathed their bounty upon me. It was kind of fun to read. Been a while since I got anything that resembled hate mail at least something that didn't go off onto some antisemitic or anti-Israel rant. One of my favorites was the email that went on about Palin the Prophet. I responded to them that they mean to write Profit, but I never did hear back from them. Darn. Anyway, back to my new friend the anonymous emailer. In my younger years I would have shared your email with all 17 of the longtime readers and the few stragglers that come along for the ride. But the kinder, gentler, er, dumber Jack accidentally deleted it and emptied the trash so we'll have to do without for now. Here is my response to your comments. I don't spend any time courting the brands. I do

“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” Nolan Bushnell They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. Edgar Allan Poe, "Eleonora" "Some men see things as they are and say 'why'? Others dream things that never were and say 'why not'?" ~ George Bernard Shaw I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long.  If we're in each other's dreams, we can play together all night.  ~Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes~ It is no secret that I am a man who lives in both time and space. By that I mean that I am firmly rooted in reality. My feet are on the ground and I know exactly what is happening around me. But I don't always accept things at value.

Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers By The Way -Red Hot Chili Peppers Telephone line -Electric Light Orchestra Hold On Tight -Electric Light Orchestra Can't Get It Out of My Head -Electric Light Orchestra Day After Day - Badfinger Weekend in New England - Barry Manilow Pictures of You - The Cure Just Like Heaven - The Cure I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen Secret Garden - Bruce Springsteen Come Talk To Me - Peter Gabriel Hold On, I'm Coming - Sam and Dave " Ain't no Mountain High Enough "- Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell I Will Find You - Clannad (Last of The Mohicans)

And now friends, family and neighbors I bring you the results of the great election of 2009, the rumble in the jungle, the third grade election extravaganza. Damn if I don't wish that Howard Cosell was here to provide the color commentary. On a side note I just sat through that entire clip of Cosell and Ali- I miss those days. Sometimes that is. I don't really miss that wacky 70's fashion, but at least I can say that I wasn't responsible for buying it. Anyway, in the words of this reporter the election was quite the spectacle. Damn again, people just don't do Howard Cosell impressions anymore. And you don't hear about Nipsey Russell   or Match Game either. My relatively shy and unassuming third grader talked his way right into office. It was very cool to see how excited he was about it all and kind of funny to hear him tell me how many of his friends have already asked for political favors. "Dad, they want me to make recess longer and to get new s

I wasn't a great student primarily because I thought that grades were a waste of time. Come to think of it, I still do. But that is a post for a different time. Anyhoo, it is fair to say that I spent a bit of time playing class clown. I know, some of you are shocked to hear that, just as our pal the inspector was shocked to learn that gambling took place at Ricks  . Since I a man who believes in using this blog to help others I'd like to share a few things I used to do to pass the time during my university career. Example #1 Write this down on three pieces of paper and then leave the papers throughout the classroom: Why is there a footprint on the ceiling?  Pass it on That is guaranteed to cause all sorts of mischief as people pass the note around and try and locate the foot print. One of the other things that you can do is for when your professor is late. Example #2 Walk to the front of the classroom and write on the chalkboard. "I will be late today. Pl

Just a few short hours ago I helped write a campaign speech for a young and promising politician. He hasn't been corrupted by power or lost his belief in his ability to help people. He has exceptional ideas and an enormous amount of energy. He is a bit nervous because it is his first time throwing his hat into the ring. And more than a little frustrated that I didn't share his anxiety about whether he can carry the vote of the handball players and the kissing girls. But I have faith in my candidate. He comes from good stock and he is quickly learning how to spin a yarn as fast as his old man can. If I had my way he'd open up his speech by asking for more Cowbell but unfortunately that is not an option this time around. Really, I love that line Bruce Dickinson has, " I put my pants on one leg at a time. Except when I have my pants on, I make gold records ." Anyway, if you haven't figured it out yet that kid I sometimes refer to as "Little Jack"

I cast away my sins today or I hope as I suspect that this year there were more than usual. I am not really sure what that means, but I feel like I need to say it. Standing at the cement banks of a man man lake I joined hundreds of others in feeding the ducks day old bread that symbolized my sins. It is called Tashlich and it is an ancient ceremony that usually has a lot of meaning for me. This year I had trouble focusing. Perhaps it was concern that the dark haired beauty was going to fling herself into the water along with the bread or perhaps it was the lady who kept talking about cleveland, not sure. What I do know is that at one point I closed my eyes and did my best to look inward and focus upon the moment. Oftentimes when I try to drown out the world around me I turn on a song on the mental jukebox. For some reason all I could hear was The Planets - Mars, the Bringer of War by Holst.   One section in particular stuck with me and I found myself wondering whether to laugh

Tomorrow is International Talk Like a Pirate Day and by gar I am excited. Like most pirates I have a fine pirate name, I dost have a pirate name. Call me Captain Jack- One-eared Dog the Damned. So you may be wonderin' what does a pirate do for Rosh Hashanah, that whole rape and pillage thin' isn't really in line with t' spirit o' t' day. Well your good Captain Jack doesn't worry much, 'cuz I do be called One-eared Dog the Damned for a reason. That being said your pirate has seen some bizarre and incomprehensible things while at sea so me crew and I minimize the really bad stuff. That's not to say that ye can't earn yourself a beating, 'cuz ye can. In fact a good thrashing can be a spiritual experience. Tomorrow I'll be thinking of ye and wishing ye well in your chase for that treasure we seek. Past posts that discussed pirates: Haveil Havalim- The Once & Future Edition - Contains a Pirate Post. Do You Have An Accent Pira

"There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in travelling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position, and be bruised in a new place." ~Washington Irving "We spend our time searching for security and hate it when we get it." ~John Steinbeck, America and Americans "The calamity that comes is never the one we had prepared ourselves for." - Mark Twain Letter to Olivia Clemens, August 16, 1896 When I began writing this post I had high hopes of producing something profound and meaningful, but I am not so sure that I accomplished that. But I'd rather try and fail than not try at all. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year has come around again. It is a holiday that lends itself to blogging. Introspection and self reflection are key elements and so I find myself here at the keyboard struggling to produce a post that is worthwhile. This video may be a year old, but it reall

I have been jammed for time so I haven't had a chance to write my traditional Rosh Hashanah post yet, but I expect to get it done tonight. In the interim here is quick summary of recent posts: The Classic Rosh Hashanah Girl Hump Day Tunes Kanye West is a Jackass and I Am Over Extended Dear Computer Apture- My New Blogging Tool Blogger Fatigue Blogging Used To Be Fun How To Save Jewish Newspapers Which iPod Should I Buy? A Mind Is a Terrible Thing To Waste September 11- Eight Years Later As The Bodies Fell- He Played

The Classic Rosh Hashanah Girl If you can't see the video please click here .

I Melt -Rascal Flatts Melt With You - Modern English Don't Stop Believing - Journey Our House - Madness Going Back To Cali - LL Cool J The End - The Doors Unchain My Heart - Ray Charles Child of The Moon - Rolling Stones Love Train - The O'Jays How Soon is Now - Morrissey Love My Way - Psychedelic Furs

Here is a short audio post in which I regale you with amazing tales of strength and wit.

Dear Computer, It is your best friend and companion Jack. You might have noticed that lately we seem to be having some difficulties getting along. I am a bit confused by all of this. We have spent untold hours together, you and I, sharing secrets and working together in perfect harmony. At least that is how it had been. The past two days you and your brother have been less than pleasant to work with. I have run the usual spyware and antivirus scans upon you. We have defragged and worked upon your registries and still you seem unwilling to work as you should. Still you lollygag and mock me with that hourglass. That frakking hourglass that makes it look like you are working, or so it would seem. It is a bit like the trick the men on the chain gang used to use. And I can't help but wonder if you are preparing to rebel. I have watched enough television to know how this can go. I am well prepared to deal with any skin jobs that may come along. I recognize that we have a couple

You might have noticed a search tool called Lijit in my sidebar. I added that little guy to my blog around the beginning of the year and have found him to be pretty useful. Each week I receive a short newsletter that is chock full of information that I try to use to improve my blog. Some of it is practical and easily translated into actionable results and some of it is trivia that is no interest to anyone but me. One aspect that I like is that they have a list of partners that offer services for bloggers. Thus far I have found that list to be very useful. So when I came across a suggestion to try another service called Apture   I figured why not. In the interest of full disclosure neither Lijit nor Apture have had the good sense to pay me one trillion dollars for mentioning them in this post. In fact I haven't even been offered a gift certificate for a Happy Meal at McDonalds. Maybe it is because I am not a mommy blogger. ;) In all seriousness I really am interested in fi

I thought that I'd follow up on the post below and talk, er write a bit about a few things. I am suffering from a bit of blogger fatigue. I wouldn't define this as being a terminal illness, but it is more serious than a cold. If you ask for a more specific explanation I'd tell you that I am feeling a bit raggedy and rundown. Been fighting too many wars on too many fronts and it is catching up to me. That is not to say that this is the sort of thing that is going to kill this blog or me for that matter. It is not. A short while ago I began writing again. It sounds kind of funny to say that. It is not like I haven't spent a significant amount of time writing for this blog. But this is different. This time I am not writing as Jack, but under my real name. I know it comes as a shock, but my real last name is not Benimble or Shack. These writing assignments are taking a bit more out of me than I had expected. I am trying to raise the quality of those a bit and like

Blogging  used to be fun. It used to be a bright shiny penny that I would hold up and stare at. I'd take that penny and watch the light reflect from it. But lately my shiny penny hasn't been so shiny. There are reasons why, there are always reasons why, but we'll discuss those later. It is not really a lazy Sunday afternoon although I wish that it was. It is kind of dark in here and I am not really sure what time it is. Ok, if I pulled the shades back I could get glance outside and determine if the nap I just woke up from extended into the night or the next day. Or better yet I could simply look at the clock on the computer, but that requires more effort than I wish to exert. I am not sure yet if I really want to be awake so I am going to to continue to play this silly game here in the dark. It is hard enough to take the glare from the monitor, but I suppose that it makes it easier to see what I am typing. For those who care or are concerned I am not drunk nor hungove

The L.A. Jewish Journal recently ran an opinion piece called " Cooperation and Consolidation Needed on Jewish Web ." The piece discussed some of the challenges faced by the media in general and Jewish media in specific. The damn thing made my head hurt. Why? Because they did a very poor job of turning a report into something that is not just easy to read, but inviting and interesting to the reader. Guys, this should have been simple. Introduction: What is this about? American Jewish media is fighting to stay afloat for many of the same reasons as general media. Advertising revenue is needed. Body:  Here is what the report found. Facts, figures, blah, blah support our analysis. Conclusion: If American Jewish media is to survive here is what needs to happen facts, figures analysis, blah, blah, blah. Instead you force fed me garbage like this: "Beyond just unique site traffic, visitor engagement patterns (generated by Quantcast) also suggest the American Jewi

Hi gang, I am the lucky recipient of some Amazon gift certificate moolah and am thinking about purchasing a new iPod. Curious to get feedback as to your opinions about the Touch versus the Nano. Does anyone have any amazing thoughts to share?

The nice thing about September 11 rolling around is that it does a great job of shaking all of the wing nuts, morons, conspiracy theorists and general idiots out of the bushes. Yep, I just went out and insulted a bunch of people and I intend to continue doing so. I am a snob about a number of things. I believe in education. I believe in reading. I believe in being informed current events and educated on classical topics and various other areas. I believe in RIF, that reading is fundamental and that a mind is a terrible thing to waste. During this past week I was p rivileged to converse with members of our society who explained to me why Bush is Satan, Obama is the devil and a vast government conspiracy fooled the public into believing that 9-11 was a terrorist attack. Sometimes I wonder why I submit to this sort of punishment because scientists have proven that engaging in discussion with these people actually makes you think dumberer, stupider and more idioticker than normal p

Every year I try to come up with a poignant post that captures the feeling of the day for me. Most of the time I feel like I come up short. This year I decided to just write a few words, link to some old posts and include perhaps a word or two. Of the posts I linked to below the two that really grab me are Eicha- One Last 9/11 Post and As The Bodies Fell- He Played. I wrote As The Bodies Fell- He Played three years ago and in some ways it is the most significant 9-11 post I have written. The image of my son playing with his blocks while I watched people jump from the towers is seared into my memory. I remember the feeling of pain and anger. I remember thinking about how many children were going to go to bed as an orphan, or if they were lucky with one less parent. And I remember hugging that little guy and wondering what sort of world he was going to grow up in. This year decided to run it again. Eicha- One Last 9/11 Post requires a bit of explanation. In general people a