But also (hazy) hot and humid.
Lots of bikers on the trail.
A few squirrels too.
Nice to walk, think, breath, and be. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
July 5, 2021
July 4, 2021
@Lake Needwood July 4
A Practical Approach to Peace in the Middle East
The question then is why? What is so intractable about the Israel-Palestinian conflict that no one seems to be able to solve it and that it has become virtually the Holy Grail of world issues on which if only we could solve it then everything else would-be nirvana. The conflict has been blamed for everything from the endless Palestinian refugee situation to Soviet aggression and expansion during the Cold War, the oil embargo of 1973, the rise and proliferation of Islamic terrorism, and countless other of the world’s ills. Anyone who even contributes to Middle East Peace like Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat and Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat win the Noble Peace Prize, and that’s without there being a full and final solution!I am certain that Israel’s willingness to negotiate and even to make painful compromises for peace has been far more prevalent, far-reaching, and consistent over time—whether in Oslo, Camp David, or Taba. In the meantime, Israel and the Palestinians continue to “take the risks” and remain in a perpetual state of sometimes active and more often passive war that is fought by Israel through military control and incremental settlement expansion and by the Palestinians through terrorism and their pursuit of the demographic population time bomb. When it comes to achieving peace, perhaps the wisdom of the ages applies here: “the short road is long”—there are no shortcuts to serious negotiation and compromise—and “the long road is short”—eventually, a solution for peace will be found even if for now it tragically and painfully evades us all.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
July 2, 2021
Cherry Blossoms DC
July 1, 2021
Cool Horse Heads
June 30, 2021
Pop-Up Toy Fun
Some toys are classic; I think every kid over the last 50 years has had one like this.
Love how colorful and happy they make these kid's toys with the up again, down again animals in a pop box.
Monkey, lion, pig, and elephant.
Hey, I'm remembering that I'm just a kid at heart too! :-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 29, 2021
Light It Up!
June 28, 2021
When You Absolutely Need A/C
June 27, 2021
@Lake Frank in Summer
From Passivity To Power
Over the course of our history, the Jewish people have grown from a passive and helpless people during 2,000 years of exile to become, once again, an assertive and strong nation in the Land of Israel as we once were in the days of Joshua, King David and the Maccabees.In the end, we need to be as faithful as “Jacob” and as strong as “Israel.” As we learn in the Torah and from the rest of Jewish history: inside every Jacob, who just wants to serve G-d in peace as the “People of the Book,” there is also a determined, strong, and brave Israelite fighter and innovator who can stand up for his people and his faith.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 24, 2021
Gourmet Butternut Squash
Ever Sit On A Cow
June 23, 2021
Hanging Out With A Dinosaur
Not so hard to imagine when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Here's one in the gallery, and he's sort of guarding the entrance.
With dinosaurs, you just gotta watch out for the teeth and the tail.
A domesticated pet it isn’t, yet some people don’t even notice it standing there!
We know we're getting old when we're hanging with dinosaurs or are we the dinosaurs as the next generation pass us by? ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 22, 2021
Bicycle and Flowers
June 21, 2021
WTF Is It?
Do these thingamajigs represent people standing tall and with arms raised high?
Are you supposed to hang things off of it like jewelry?
Can you place on it reminder notes or small pictures using push pins?
Then again maybe it's a toy for a child or even a pet?
In the end, all I can say is WFT is it?
Perhaps that's what the meaning of art is! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 20, 2021
@Torpedo Factory
June 19, 2021
Menachem Begin, Hero of Independence and Beyond
While David Ben-Gurion was the politically savvy founding father of the modern-day State of Israel, Menachem Begin was the military genius who brought the Jewish people from British subjugation to being a free people in our own land.In the end, the Jewish people’s fight for freedom from oppression and for an independent homeland, even the willingness to accept a partitioned land along with the desire for peace, required both the political fight that Ben-Gurion brought to the world’s governments as well as the military struggle that Begin was expert at against both the British overlords who refused autonomy under the mandate and to the Arabs who refused partition. Further, this underscores the stark contrast between the Jewish struggle and that of the Palestinians who have incessantly rejected negotiation and any opportunities for autonomy and peace, including at Oslo, Camp David, and Taba, as well as after Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 that was followed by Hamas’s terror tunnels, kidnappings, incendiary balloons attacks, and rocket barrages on Israel civilian population centers.
(Credit Photo: Israel Government)
June 18, 2021
Dr Merry-Go-Round
He mentioned that no doctor wants to take responsibility for the patient anymore.
Maybe that's why they punt to other doctors and have big medical malpractice insurance.
But he said something really interesting...
"You wind up going on doctor merry-go-round until you [actually] find someone willing to help..."
One doctor sends you to another doctor and this one sends you to that specialist and it goes on and on.
Sometimes they just can't figure out what's wrong.
Usually comes across as trial-and-error or a process of elimination.
But then if they don't want to deal with you or don't know what's wrong or how to treat they pass you off to the next doctor and so on, and so on.
I suppose to a certain extent it makes sense because medicine like many technical fields is very specialized now-a-days.
But how much is it the specialization stuff and how much is it that they just don't want to deal with the hard stuff or don't want the liability.
Dr. Merry-Go-Round takes you on a very nauseous ride and makes it tough sometimes to get the care you need. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 17, 2021
All American Hummer
June 16, 2021
Go Ahead and Waste My Time
Feel Free to Waste My Valuable Time
When you go to help desk, customer service representative, your boss, a friend or even family member, and they give you that sigh or that look that you are immensely bothersome.
If only people had more compassion and respect for others and more of a true customer service and servant-leader mentality.
Otherwise all you get is that ol' grumpy face and contemptuous attitude and you just want to crawl under a big heavy rock and never come out. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 15, 2021
Paranoid or Not
June 14, 2021
Beautiful Japanese Balloon
June 13, 2021
When Compromise Means Death
The nations of the world look on with horror at the “plight of the Palestinians,” but they turn a blind eye to the chants of “death to Israel” and as the Palestinians turn billions of dollars of aid into relentless homicide bombs and send thousands of missiles into Israel civilian population centers. The compromise that Israel has shown would end the Palestinian “victim status” and thus endanger their endless money and support that flows freely from the UNRWA to prop up the corrupt Palestinian leadership. The reason that the Palestinian leadership doesn’t want an agreement is that they want the Jews dead “from the river to the sea!”Israel has shown that is willing to make difficult and painful decisions and support Palestinian autonomy for the sake of peace, but will the Palestinians ever compromise at all? As Golda Meir said:
Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.Please G-d, the day will arrive soon, when reason will overcome hate, and peace will prevail over prejudice, and Jews and Palestinians can live side-by-side, as neighbors and as friends.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 11, 2021
Great Microwave Decor
Why watch through the glass window, the food on the turntable (and the splatter) as it heats up when you can instead see some real art!
Also, kids art is somehow always the best; they see things in a more pure, unadulterated, as well as a fantastical way that makes you look at life anew again.
Enjoy the wonderful art Papi! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 10, 2021
Dog Days of Summer
Nice way for dogs (or people) to cool off in the hot car in Summer.
Just have to watch for passing cars or bikes, so the snoot doesn't get bumped.
Do you know where we're going?
No hon, but it's hot as hell today and I'm sort of down in the dumps.
Just try to enjoy the ride and I'm sure we'll be there soon.
I'm trying, just let me have a little peace and quiet, please! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal)
June 9, 2021
Isn't This Brand Just A Little Too Forward
And they have a hand sanitizer version too.
This product's naming, labeling, and marketing is over-the-top even for a spoof product.
Ah, I think I'll forever hold off on the handshaking even if there is an after-Covid. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 8, 2021
Tower of Jelly Beans
June 6, 2021
Hot Dogs With All The Toppings
Military Might
June 5, 2021
G-d’s Redemption Is A Promise
The Jewish people’s exile was only temporary and that is what G-d promised us. But the anti-Semites of the world somehow want to make us believe that G-d has forsaken the Jew permanently, and thus they chant “Free, Free Palestine!” and call the Jews occupiers.
In short, the worst punishment is not just being hurt, but also feeling exiled, abandoned, and hopeless. This is where we must look up to the Heavens for G-d’s salvation, and work to merit His bringing us back towards His divine presence. As with anyone who has experienced personal “exile” and suffering in life, we know those are the darkest of days when G-d’s face is hidden from us, and we may feel alone and abandoned. But G-d is always there, waiting for us to seek Him out and return to Him, and that is when we can finally not only see the light at the end of the darkest of tunnels, but also when we can feel G-d reach out to us and bring us back home again to Him.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
June 4, 2021
June 3, 2021
Washington Monument Tall and Proud
June 2, 2021
What Children Learn
What children experience at home is what they learn to become.
Sure people can change their thinking and actions.
But any negative voices of the past may still echo in theirs heads.
That is until people tell them "hush, be quiet!"
And they replace old voices and experiences with new thinking about themselves and what they are capable of positively doing with their lives and in their relationships with others.
We all need to know what we value about ourselves and our lives and then make sure that we do those things.
So at the end of days, we can answer for our lives in an affirmative way! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Etsy)
June 1, 2021
Cheesecake and Whipped Cream
May 30, 2021
These Looks Good
The UNHRC is a Bloody Joke
While the UNHRC has an incredibly important and noble mission to promote and protect human rights around the world, in reality, the UNHRC, conducts itself like its anti-Semitic parent, the United Nations (UN) which regularly condemns Israel at every turn of world events. Made up of a variety of despots, dictators, terrorists, and rotten-to-the core human rights violators, the UNHRC refuses to condemn the incessant attacks and terrorism against Israel, but rather they defend those that want to “throw the Jews into the sea” and in turn use anti-Semitic attacks on Israel to hide their own fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption at home.Unfortunately, while the UN “Commission” on Human Rights was replaced primarily in name only by a UN Human Rights “Council,” nothing much else changed in their wanton display of corruption, anti-Semitism, and human rights violations. To this day, the leaders of these countries use Israel and the Jews as an object of hatred and for persecution to deflect and hide the repression and atrocities that they routinely and wantonly do to their very own people.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 28, 2021
Beautiful Japanese Print
Her pink eyeshadow and lipstick as well as the red dangles in her hair really standout.
She looks mysterious and at the same time familiar.
Asia brought to the U.S. and it's intriguing to say the least. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 27, 2021
Nice Peacock Vase
May 26, 2021
Huge Sushi Platter
May 25, 2021
Tefillin and Talit Bag
It even has a beautiful siddur (prayer book) inside and my Hebrew name on the outside.
I just wanted to thank my wonderful family for this and especially, my son-in-law, Itzchak for ordering this for me from Israel.
I love it, and thank you guys so much!
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 24, 2021
Street Art Florida
May 23, 2021
The Stranger and The Enemy
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Stranger and The Enemy."
In summary, with regards to Israel, we must follow two important commandments that guide our relationships with the outside world. First, there is the imperative to love our neighbor and the stranger. Second is the dictum to wholly defend ourselves from our enemies who seek our destruction. While on the surface these may pose a contradiction, in reality, they do not, because if our neighbors and the strangers among us are willing to live in genuine peace with us then we gladly and actively will extend the olive branch in peace and brotherhood. But if unfortunately, our neighbors are bent on our genocide then we must fight them.Love and peace is always what we want from the bottom of our hearts, but war is a necessity that is sometimes thrust upon us by our enemies and that we must absolutely, with G-d’s help, win.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 21, 2021
Nice Sitting Area
Especially liked the wall hanging combining both painting and light display.
On the opposite side of the room was a glass wall/windows, and the light of the boy and girl holding hands reflected in there as well.
Had a nice relaxing and high-tech type effect on the room.
Just glad the light display didn't move; I think that would be too much and actually sickening.
Anyway, off into the sunset. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 19, 2021
The Contrarians
I get that they are wanting to get a tan, but to me their still missing it!
There are always those that will go against the norm.
That's the Bell-Shaped Curve for you in action. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 18, 2021
The Mind's Eye
The mind's eye can see what the real eye's don't.
Perhaps, we see something (or not) and then rationalize it away or use any other of the cognitive biases to not pay attention or distort the facts and the truth.
Not sure why this 3rd eye is off-center and also looks upside down (with the eyelashes on the bottom).
The age old question is whether it would it be better to have the extra eye in the back of your head?
360-degree vision, way cool!
Now if we can add some high-tech sensors to augment our eyes then we could also routinely see at night, in fog, etc.
It isn't true that what you don't see can't hurt you.
Eyes wide open, and pay very good attention! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 17, 2021
How Hashem Was Found
This disabled man was then charged with DUI and spent the next 8 1/2 years in prison. But the Rabbi of the prison helped him to find G-d in all this suffering and slowly he returned to his Jewish roots. Now, for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, commemorating the giving of the Torah to all the Jewish people, he was in synagogue, holding his prayer book and receiving the Ten Commandments with the rest of the congregants.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
