(Credit Photo: Minna Blumenthal)
Showing posts with label Hungry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hungry. Show all posts
January 17, 2025
November 12, 2023
June 11, 2023
On Line For 1 Potato
May 10, 2022
January 27, 2021
Oodles of Noodles
August 13, 2020
Let Them Eat Cake
Do we pay attention or look away?
Do we even care?
Do we do anything about it?
As queen Marie-Antoinette said when told that her people were starving and had no bread, what did she say?
Let them eat cake!
Pray that we are better than that. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
January 22, 2020
How Are These Unlivable "Living Conditions" Allowed To Persist?
Makeshift tents line up and down under the train tracks to Union Station.
Spikes overhead make this an extra frightening looking arrangement.
People walking by and to/from work--after a while, is there a mixture of acceptance and indifference?
It's freezing outside and this is NO WAY for any human being to have to live.
Can we put partisan politics aside for any period of time to deal with the very harsh problems facing real people? ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
November 26, 2019
Birds Dropping In For Lunch
These birds decided to swoop in for some lunch.
It was funny to see the people go scrambling from the table.
The birds were completely unabashed and took their time over the chow.
One couple in the corner had ordered this truly enormous meal (don't worry, I was good and ate only the salad).
Each of them had a full lunch plate PLUS in the center of their table was "The Volcano" of nachos, cheese, chili, guacamole, sour cream, and jalapenos.
That was certainly no bird food with The Volcano punching in at 3,500 calories!
I have no idea how any two people could possibly eat that much food.
Probably good that the birds decided to drop in. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
July 7, 2019
Beyond Burger Good!
They are meatless burgers, and supposed to be pretty healthy, but they taste good too.
Let's just say these were very delicious and we gobbled them down.
Cheesy with tomato, onion, bun, and all.
As my father would say, "It tastes like more!" ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal and thank you again to Itzchak and Rebecca!)
June 2, 2019
Kosher Cheeseburger, Finally
I keep kosher.
And we don't mix milk and meat together.
Tough watching all the fast food commercials from McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, and more.
So lo' and behold, my surprise when they introduced the kosher cheeseburger.
It uses the Impossible Burger made from plants--and it's advertised as having more protein, less fat, no cholesterol, and fewer calories than meat.
So we got two bags of food from Goldberg's bagels.
One bag had breakfast with bagels and egg salad.
The other bag had the kosher cheeseburgers for lunch (after the morning's activity)
We ate the egg salad bagels and they were good.
But we were really looking forward to the cheeseburgers.
Finally, after all these years of waiting...
But what happens, Dossy threw out the garbage from breakfast and...
She accidentally threw out the Impossible Burgers with it.
So when we got back to the car, salivating for the cheeseburgers...
We look in the front, in the back, in the compartments--and nothing!
It's gone! It's all gone!
No freakin cheeseburger for me.
Not then, not now, and I'm afraid not ever. :-(
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
March 26, 2019
Out of Control Ice Cream
But somehow I managed not to get any...this time.
I promise!
LOL
These are made with fresh hot waffles wrapped around your choice of ice cream and toppings.
As you can see these are pretty big and scrumptious!
Anyway, they have a store in Rockville and I absolutely must stay away from it.
Oh, maybe I just go in once for a taste. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
January 16, 2019
Green Eggs and Ham - דוקטור סוס
So who would've thought that Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" comes in Hebrew.
I watched this video, and loved it!
It is amazing that this can translate over.
One critique that I have is that the book should've said that the main character didn't want to eat the green eggs and ham, because he is kosher (instead of not being hungry or not loving the food).
But then again, he would've had to stick to his guns and not have eaten it in the end!
One other thing that I learned from this video/book, is that even though I am loving learning Hebrew in Ulpan class, I still have the vocabulary of a 9 year old. LOL
But I'm learning... ;-)
(Thank you to my daughter, Rebecca for sharing this with me.)
I watched this video, and loved it!
It is amazing that this can translate over.
One critique that I have is that the book should've said that the main character didn't want to eat the green eggs and ham, because he is kosher (instead of not being hungry or not loving the food).
But then again, he would've had to stick to his guns and not have eaten it in the end!
One other thing that I learned from this video/book, is that even though I am loving learning Hebrew in Ulpan class, I still have the vocabulary of a 9 year old. LOL
But I'm learning... ;-)
(Thank you to my daughter, Rebecca for sharing this with me.)
November 1, 2017
Pennies From Heaven
She posed for the picture and made sure to line up the top and the bottom posters to get it just right.
It says:
"Not One Penny In Tax Cuts For The Rich"
Makes intuitive sense doesn't it: the rich already are blessed with...riches!
Any more pennies in their war chest is sort of a drop in the billionaire bucket.
With tax reform is on the table now...we need tax relief for the middle class and to grow the economy.
The rich really do not need to get any richer.
Especially with a national debt over $20 trillion already--and not including future entitlement obligations that exceed projected revenue for social security and medicare, which bring the debt in excess of $70 trillion!).
The gamble with this whole tax reform plan is that the $1.5 trillion or so in proposed tax cuts over 10 years translates into a much bigger economic expansion that makes up for that revenue loss to the government and more.
If not, well then Uncle Sam bet wrong and our annual deficit gets bigger and bigger (already $666 billion in FY 2017).
Tax cuts for the rich today and estate tax cuts to pass wealth between generations--when they impact the top 1% are ridiculously targeted to those who really don't need it, and many of the decent ones, like Warren Buffet, don't even want it.
Let's have a heart and help the people that really need the help--let's narrow the growing divide between the haves and the have nots, and move to eliminate the class system that elevates one child of G-d over another.
- While some live in McMansions, others are homeless.
- While some eat steak and drink expensive bottles of wine every night, others go hungry and thirsty.
- While some wear fancy designer clothes, expensive jewelry, and different outfits every day, others don't have a clean shirt on their back.
It's nice to think that some "deserve it" more than others, but we also have to think who really needs it more.
And if the pennies do ultimately come from Heaven (as all blessings do), then let us distribute these with compassion and lovingkindness as we know our Creator would want us to. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
October 17, 2017
It's Gazillions Baby!
You're still considered sort of a poor schlub!
Even a billionaire is not such a big deal anymore.
It takes at least $2 billion to make it unto the Forbes 400 Richest Americans List.
Further, a recent episode of CNBC Filthy Rich Guide asks who will become the world's first trillionaire!
They say trillionaire as in a number with "4 commas"--never really thought of it that way.
...but it's definitely a big,(1) big,(2) big,(3) big,(4) big number.
Jeff Bezos of Amazon with $90 billion currently in the bank and growing fast is forecasted to be the one who will make it.
So no longer are we betting on which mega corporation--Apple (with a current value of almost $830 billion)--will become the first trillion dollar company.
We are talking individuals with that much moolah too.
So with the median net worth of Americans a measly $69 thousand dollars, it's no wonder that billionaires like Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O'Leary of Shark Tank) calls more than one entreprenuer looking for an investment, a cockroach!
What's a shame is not only the complete social inequity and class system that we have and that continues to grow with those in McMansions and others homeless, but also that so many can't see that what's really important is not the beautiful pocketbook full of money, but the decent soul filled with good deeds! ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
March 28, 2017
People Literally Eating Garbage
They had flipped open the top, reached in, pulled out a half-drunk cup of something awful looking, and in one shot, gulped it down.
I was choking watching this--it was so upsetting that any human being has to live this way.
Like so many of these poor folks living off the streets, their belly was sick and widely distended.
And their pants were very worn, with holes, and wrapped ill-fittingly around their waist.
They dragged a small suitcase behind them.
When people say that things are bad in their life, perhaps we often don't stop to think about how bad things can really get (bli ayin hara).
G-d should have mercy on his children and bless us not to know any loss, sorrow, pain, suffering, sickness or hunger. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
March 7, 2017
Is Man An Angel Or Beast?
On one hand, we see small and great acts of love, kindness and generosity.
People feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, donating clothes to the poverty-stricken, and standing up to defend those that are abused, discriminated against, and victimized.
Every day is an opportunity to be a gracious, heavenly angel!
At the same time, we are witness to horrible acts of hate, cruelty and inhumanity.
The strong preying off and committing gross acts of violence against the weak, the rich elitists taking from the poor lower-class, the powerful violating the human rights of the masses and ruling with a brutal iron fist.
Every day is the possibility to act the vicious, lowly beast!
It's a choice as we stand here teetering on the world we are injected into.
The angel and the beast fight within us.
Our souls yearn to emulate the spirit of our Holy Creator, while our bodies look for raw physical and material satisfaction.
It is truly a battle that rages within us, and can tear any or all of us apart.
Yet, our mission is for good to overcome evil--in everyday small and large ways.
To fight the urges that torment us and to rise, rise, with the wings of an angel to reach our potential and fulfill our destiny. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
September 26, 2016
Homeless And Hungry
Two statues of back-to-back homeless people in the grit on the sidewalk.
They sit as everyone rushes on past them--many stone faced as well as too many stone hearted.
In this case, someone put the newspaper Street Sense on the lap of the statue.
As many in DC, the homeless are trying to get back on their feet in this case by writing articles for and selling this newspaper about homelessness, poverty, and social issues.
Impressive that they sell about 16,000 of the biweekly 16-page paper and that the homeless vendors make about $45 per day doing this.
Like this picture of the homeless on the street, bracing back against each other and sort of huddled up among the masses of the fortunate around them, I imagine that they must really feel like these statues--odd, uncomfortable, lost, scared, and painted over by society that marks them as dirty, dangerous, and unwanted.
But these homeless and hungry are G-d's children, no less than any of us!
I applaud Street Sense and other advocates and activists that see, hear, and feel beyond themselves and help the needy and downtrodden.
Helping these people in desperate need is truly G-d's work, and like recently sainted, Mother Teresa, is an act of unbelievable kindness and mercy that we can all learn from and should emulate. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
July 26, 2016
Poverty Is An Illness
Poverty is not just a phenomenon of poor, homeless and hungry people.
It is a social and economic epidemic, and here are some sobering statistics:
- "Nearly 1/2 of the world's population--more than 3 billion people--live on less than $2.50 a day."
- More than 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty--less than $1.25 a day."
- "1 Billion children worldwide are living in poverty...and 165 million children under the age of 5 were stunted...due to malnutrition."
- "1/4 of all humans live without electricity."
- "80% of the world population lives on less than $10 a day."
Those empty stomachs, battered roofs, and tattered clothes are leaving indelible marks on so many impoverished people, yet many at the other end of the spectrum are living so high and mighty...it's a crazy contrast that fails to make any sense.
Passing by the stronghold buildings of the World Bank in Washington, D.C., I found these striking "End Poverty" t-shirts that they had in their storefront--although I couldn't help think how far removed this place was from this sorry state of global poverty and chaotic and violent world affairs.
We are living in an incredible bubble, and while I often hear how grateful people are to be here and have "all this," somehow I just don't think we fully get it what's going on out there! ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 22, 2016
DC Metro Is In Shambles
So the latest this week from the crumbling infrastructure of the DC Metro train system, not withstanding the mess of Operation SafeTrack.
While riding this morning, a large panel inside the train abruptly and widely swings open and smashes against the fabricated white and plastic wall adjacent to the seats.
It made a loud bang and initially everyone on the train looked up with the deer in the headlights stare apparently thinking it was a gunshot on the train or something.
Luckily, no one was in the 2 seats where the panel swung open like that, because their would've been some physical damage done to somebody there.
The age and decrepitness of the train obvious from the incident and also looking at what's behind door #1!
What is amazing is that this is the Capital of the United States, one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations on Earth.
We spend lavishly abroad and domestically on wasteful pork barrel politics, broken programs, and even money that goes completely unaccounted for (can anyone say pass a financial audit).
Yet, we cannot provide a modern, clean, safe, and functional metro transportation system servicing the capital of our country or for that matter educate our young people properly or feed the hungry and shelter the homeless within our own borders.
There is a lot broken here and Metro is just the tip of the leadership iceberg unbecoming who we are and what our potential for this world is. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 8, 2016
Shockingly Hungry
I am a study of human nature, so it can be fun just to get a rouse out of people, by doing something unexpected or even shocking.
Today, going through the airport with my daughter, the TSA security lines were a lot better than what had been advertised lately.
As we get through and are getting our stuff together, my daughter says to me (around breakfast time now): "I'm hungry, can we get something to eat?"
So, I jokingly turn to her with a serious face on and say, "But you already ate yesterday!"
This strange man next to us, stops dead in his tracks overhearing what I said, and gives us the craziest look.
So what do I do having a ball with this?
I repeat even louder and with more emphasis, "Why do you need to eat again? You already ate yesterday!!"
I am having to hold myself from cracking up laughing as I know this guy is listening and I almost can't wait to see his facial expression.
I look at my daughter who gets it and is playing along and she is also pretending and putting on a sour face like she can't have any food today.
The guy looks like he is about to explode and say something, but decides I suppose to just make a real disgusted kvetchy face and move on.
I was sort of disappointed that he didn't want to help (in his mind) this kid and say something like, "How can you do that--and not feed her every day?"
I would have admired him for actually caring enough to try to help and intervene for someone else, even a stranger.
But I guess the pent up shocked look will have to surface for today's human antics. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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