This just seemed like a funny photo to me. In the cafeteria, someone was checking out at the register. And on their lunch/food tray, they had, of course, their lunch. But also, they had a big black telephone. Talking about a working lunch! Wow, is that customer service or what? lol This reminded me also of the BIG red phone on some top officials' desks --always ready for that critical call in case of near world catastrophe. So here we go Joe... I will eat my lunch and am ready for your call at any time. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
We don't have to fight, but even when we fight, we can overcome through compassion, love, and constructive reconciliation. Love and friendship can win over anger and fighting, and help to usher in the ultimate redemption. Hope you enjoy the article. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This was a cute cartoon that "Anastasia The Lifeguard" doodled of me swimming. She captured me doing my laps. Enjoying the sunshine. Breathing in the fresh air. Appreciating the beautiful flowers. Loving the pool and water. Thank you so much for this great picture! (Source Cartoon: the Talented Anastasia)
So this is an interesting meeting facilitation technique. Sometimes people get carried away in meetings either as broken records,spinning wheels, naysayers, or ever with verbal attacks. In these case, either the facilitator or any of the other participants, can have permission to "call an ELMO." What that stands for is: Enough, Let's Move On When someone at the meeting calls an ELMO the meeting is redirected and focused back to the agenda and meeting objectives. There are also times, you need a "parking lot" for good ideas that are a little offtrack or for sidebars that you want to come back to later. At other times, you just need to say, "Let's take it offline." Focused meetings should generate ideas (brainstorm), exchange points of view, surface problems, discuss issues, and make decisions. A good meeting leaves people feeling energized, valued, informed, and productive. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So when I saw this colored rock last evening, it made me think two things: One, cool idea, looks nice and fun to make. Two, it reminded me of the Pet Rocks in the 1970s that made millions (this one was hippie even though those back then weren't actually even colored). A business guy came up with the idea to sell smooth rocks from Mexico beach and market them as pets. Yeah, they are so lovable and easy to care for! It was one of the great branding and marketing events of the 20th century. Who would think people would actually spend money on a plain dumb rock that you could basically pick up off the street? But incredibly, putting the rock in a box with holes (so the rock could breath) and sitting it on a little stack of hay with an joke of instruction book for caring for your rock, SOLD. And in fact, over 1,500,000 rocks were sold at a pop of $4 each. The guy became a millionaire and got rid of a truckload of worthless rocks. Yes, "One man's garbage is another man's treasure!" But surely this was getting a little ridiculous. Hey, I'll give you a nickle for the shinny painted rock in the photo here. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So here is one way that some people can (try to) manipulate you--positively or negatively. They can help either to keep you "in the know" or "in the dark." As we all know by now, information is power! When you're in the know--you are a trusted agent and a valuable resource; you have more dots and more connections between the dots to make; you are able to analyze what's happening and make better decision going forward; you can lead with knowledge, wisdom, and hopefully understanding. People come to you for advice, guidance, and because you are a true asset to the team, your superiors, and the organization. When you're in the dark--you are untrusted and unvalued, you may actually be seen as the enemy who needs to be marginalized, put out or taken out! You are kept out of meetings, uninformed or misinformed, and so you become more and more intellectually worthless. Further, others are implicitly or explicitly told that you are poisonous and not to get caught up in the pending slaughter. A colleague of mine put it this way: "Don't get between a man and his firing squad." So with others, there can be information alliances as well as information warfare. To a great extent, you are responsible for keeping yourself in the know. You need to build relationships, bridges, and networks. You need to read, observe, and talk to lots of people. You need time to digest and analyze what you learn. And you must build your information store so that it is ready and actionable. But to another extent, there are others--superiors, competitors, bullies, abusers--who just might seek to keep you in the dark and bring you down. Not everyone is your friend...some maybe just the opposite. (Wouldn't it be nice, if we all were just friends!) But showing you the intellectual ass of the group is a powerful nut that once superimposed as an image, cannot be easily distilled. There is plenty of groupthink to go around. And taking out a perceived enemy diffuses their power to everyone else. What a lousy coup by some nasty f*ckers! Why some friend and others foe you--who the heck knows. Perhaps some is chemistry; some is tit for tat; some is personal bias and bigotry; and some just the crapshoot of fate. In the end, keep doing your part to enhance your value, your friendships, and your integrity. The rest, you have to be vigilant about and realize not everyone wants the lights kept on. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So it's been raining so much here in the DC area lately. The result is that the hot Summer July temperatures are down in the cool 70's and the rain is flooding everywhere. When I got in the elevator this morning, someone goes to me: "Did you see the leak in the hallway? They are watering the tree with it." And sure enough, there it was! When all this rain finally stops, there is going to be a lot of cleanup and repairs to do. The other thing was yesterday, we were on the way to a board meeting in our synagogue. In the elevator, are two other people--a man and women--carrying binders. They say to us: "Are you going to the board meeting?" Surprised, because I didn't recognize them from our synagogue, I respond affirmatively and ask to clarify: "Oh, you're going to the board meeting too? I don't recall seeing you there before." Then the elevator stops and they start to get off--but it's to a different board meeting for the building. When they see that we're going to a different floor, they start laughing: "I guess we're going to different board meetings!" I say: "Yeah that's right, different board meetings, but we'll all probably be bored! Another laugh by everyone, and we we're all off to the races. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Last night, as Tisha B'Av (the commemoration of the destruction of the first and second Holy Temples in Jerusalem) was nearing conclusion, we watched these beautiful videos of: 1) The singing of Ani Ma'Amin at the Kotel yesterday in 2018. 2) An amazing NCSY kumzitz, including at the beginning, the singing of Kol Berama Nishma/Rachel Mivakah at the Kotel a few years ago in 2015.
"A voice is heard in the Heavens, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not. Thus saith the Lord: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. And there is hope for thy future, saith the Lord; and thy children shall return to their own border. "
Both are so beautiful, and we imagined G-d looking down from the Heavens and being moved to rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and bring his amazing presence closer to us once again on Earth. Oh let it be! ;-)
I am so excited to play this edition of Monopoly Jerusalem edition. The properties of obviously from famous places in the Holy City of Jerusalem, such as The Kenneset, Mount Olives, Mount Herzl, Hebrew University, Montefiore Windmill, Mahane Yehuda Market, The Biblical Zoo, The Israel Museum, Tower of David, and of course, The Western Wall, and more. The cards are in both Hebrew and English so I can continue to improve my Hebrew language skills. I think this is a perfect topic to be thinking about today, which is Tisha B'Av (the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av). This is a perfect Shabbat game for after Shul and Kiddish, and I am looking forward to the family sitting down to play Monopoly Jerusalem style. I want to also note that Jerusalem along with the Holy Temple (may it be rebuilt speedily in our day) is a perfect topic to be thinking about today, because this is the day on the Hebrew calendar when the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in both 586 BCE by the Babylonians as well as in 70 CE by the Romans after they had laid siege to the city--the exact same day of the calendar year over 650 years apart--and so this is a day of commemoration, mourning, and introspection for the Jewish people. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Please see my new article in Times of Israel, "Israel Must Fight Fire With Fire." When the Hamas terrorist's from Gaza are trying to burn the State of Israel, Israel needs to make sure it's the terrorists are the ones getting burnt. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Anger is one of those emotions (like jealousy) that can clearly get the best of people. Hence, the term anger management! The Talmud teaches that there are 3 ways to know a person's real character: - Koso, Kiso, and Ka'aso. From Aramaic to English it translates as: - Cup, Purse, and Anger. In other words... Cup--When a person "drinks," this is how they handle their alcohol and how they act when physically (or perhaps emotionally) inebriated or as we say, "When the wine goes in, the secrets come out!" Are they jumping on the bar, ripping it all off and saying and doing the inappropriate and profane or are they able to recognize their point of weakness and ask someone for a ride safely home. Purse--This is how a person handles money (and power). Materialism of people speaks volumes. Are they cheap, misery, and narcissistic or compassionate, caring, and giving to others. Anger--When a person is angry, this is often when their "true colors" show. Do they get mean, bullying, abusive, and violent--do they go for the throat and the kill or are they situationally aware, measured, and do they listen, understand, and are they able to cope well when "under the gun." Focusing on the anger piece... It's easy to get angry, and it's also easy to look for a scapegoat and let it out on people that really have nothing to do with why you're really angry. Maybe people can't always address their anger with the true source, maybe they don't even recognize their feelings fully, or have no idea how to safely release and reset. In any case, anger is a dangerous emotion if not dealt with. Many mistakes are made that cannot be undone when people lose their cool (or sh*t, as now seems more commonly said). Thoughts on this... Take a breath, slow down. Evaluate what's really going on. Think about whether it's truly the end of the world or not. Assess the options for coping with it. Look for ways to deescalate and resolve. If necessary, seek help from others. Finally, where possible be compassionate and forgiving. And where not, cope, cope, cope--and survive another day! ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So sometimes you don't know that something is happening until it is too late. A colleague yesterday told me this great simile: It's like when you put a frog in a pot of water and turn up the heat, the frog doesn't know what's happening until it's too late, and he ends up being boiled alive! With better knowledge of the context, of course, you can have the foresight to act, to fight, to get out, whatever. Similarly with the frog, if you throw him into an already boiling pot of water, he immediately jumps out, and viola he's saved. It's really important to have good situational and political awareness. Not everyone out there is so innocent--even when they have a good act and pretend, "Who me?" Many of them know how to work the system, so that the system works for them. G-d forbid, when you're in the way, they'll often turn up the heat. And if you don't realize what going on, you'll be the frog that's a not so tasty dinner. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Took this photo yesterday in the courtyard during a thunderstorm. It is the first time that I was actually able to see the rain almost in a slow motion. They weren't drops, but literally streaks of water zipping down from the sky. The feeling was so pure and refreshing to clean the air and the ground. To replenish our reservoirs, ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans. To nourish the fruit of the Earth and make it grow. We use up and make dirty, but G-d replenishes and makes clean! ;-) (Source photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So it's amazing how people are so willing to throw away friendship. They get angry about something having nothing even to do with you. They say things they probably don't even mean, and in turn you may say things you don't even mean. Often you say things just to bring the other person to their senses. But sometimes they don't come to their senses. They need to let out on someone and you're the convenient scapegoat. Before you know it, they throw your friendship under a bus. Personally, I'm not one to make friends that easily or quickly--there needs to be some real chemistry and the building of trust--but then I am one who is an eternally loyal friend. Yet, I see others, they kiss and hug and say you're like family, but then when they get angry, oh boy, you are gone like the wind. Maybe that's not what real friendship is. To me, friendship surpasses dumb deeds and words and stupid fights, it's about being there through thick and thin. Take the false teeth out and put some permanent ones in--they last much longer. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel, Legitimate Use of Landmines for Israel-Gaza Border. Israel should consider use of landmines to secure its border from tens of thousands of Hamas terrorists that seek daily to overrun the border and murder the citizens of the sovereign State of Israel. (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Is being old an age, a feeling, or both? Some people seem to get old before their time. They go about echting and kretzching--at 40 and 50, they are saying this hurts and I feel crummy about that! Nu, I'm not 18 anymore! Other people never, literally almost never seem to get old. One lady I know is going to be 94 this month and she is going strong mentally, emotionally, and physically. It almost seems impossible. This guy in the photo has a funny shirt on that says:
"I thought growing old would take longer."
Yeah, it does sort of creep up on you, but really, really fast. Like where the heck did that come from! I know inside for me, I always still feel like a kid. I have the same funny side, playful side, and curious side; the desire to be productive and accomplish something meaningful with my life and time, and to love and be loved. Yeah, things hurt a little more than they did years ago--can't believe the things I used to be able to do--Yes, at one time, I use to break cinder blocks with my bare hands, true! But now, I can do other things like swim and hike and I love to write things that I am passionate about or to be a little creative too! Maybe we do not get old...maybe we are just like caterpillars that morph into something else like butterflies during this life and into the life beyond. Age is experience, learning, growth--lots of mistakes--and then recovering and trying again and harder. Life is wonderment and excitement and appreciation for every amazing beautiful thing. No, life does not get old. Suffering and loss gets old quick and wish it never was. But we are physical bodies with eternal souls, so we go on and on into the wild blue yonder. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Ok, the title of this blog may not be the best. Some may associate the "Love Truck" with human trafficking or something horrible. But this truck in Washington D.C. really fitted the name with messages on the windows and sides like:
Love not hate. Peace on planet Earth. One race, the human race. Left, right, make America unite again through love. 2 wrongs don't make it right. Stop bombing, start educating. Smile, life is short. Be kind to your fellow man.
I almost got to wonder what's on the other side of this truck??? Anyway, I know it's more than kind of kooky to graffiti up your own vehicle this way, but I still rather see these messages and actions than those of hate and violence in this world. Happy Friday folks! ;-) (Source Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal)
Please see my new article in Times of Israel, "Israel's Ladder To Space." So proud of Israel's planning to join the Big 3 countries (U.S., Russia, and China) to land on the moon. Amazing what even a relatively small in size and new nation like Israel can set their sights on and please G-d accomplish with G-d's help. (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So I learned a lesson recently. Sometimes, a kiss is not a kiss. It could be a phony show. Like a snake. It slithers and fools people into complacency. Kiss kiss! Hug hug! But around the back is a hand holding a dangerous dagger. It stands ready to swing and plunge into your soft unsuspecting tissue. The more kisses, perhaps the more hiding of their true intentions. People are complex and sometimes malevolent. They want what they want, and when they want it. When the time comes, a kiss can turn into a sharp knife. You wonder how is it that person has no more kisses. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Who would think you'd find a car like this in Washington, D.C.? Definitely a standout, you think. Although it seems like the people crossing the street don't even notice it. Ah, wake up people! Anyway, where do you park a car like that? It's nice to look at, but between people wanting to steal it or deface it, I think it's probably more trouble than it's worth. There are enough loonies out there...why give them a reason. Then again, if you tether yourself to it, maybe it's good for a joy ride around the Capital especially before the new tariffs kick in. ;-) (Source Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal)
Andy Blumenthal is Deputy Program Director at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader with over 35 years of experience delivering results across the public and private sectors. All opinions are his own.
