Happy Days

Nothing says happy like a big smile. 

This smiley face in the yard in front of the house was a perfect real estate addition. 

As my father used to sing so beautifully:

When you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you! 

It really is a beautiful and positively contagious thing!  ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Happy Days

90-10 Charity Rule

There is a commandment of giving at least 10% to charity.

In Genesis 14:20:

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

In Genesis 28:22

[Jacob says] And in all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you. 

In Leviticus 27:30:

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the L-rd, it is holy to the L-rd. 

In general, G-d lets you keep 90% and he commands that you give 10% to charity.

I understand that some righteous people even give 20% of their income to charity.

I learned from Rabbi Yaron Reuven that:

For those that are miserly and not charitable and don't tithe, G-d reverses the equation, and He takes back the 90% and lets you keep the 10%.

Very ingenious and where the punishment fits "the crime" so to say.

So what do you want the 90% or the 10%--it's your choice to give or have it given for you!  ;-)

(Credit Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)

90-10 Charity Rule

@Clarksville Sunflower Festival 2020

(Source Photos: Andy and Dossy Blumenthal)

@Clarksville Sunflower Festival 2020

No, It's Not Fort Knox

Did I just walk into Urgent Care or is this Fort Knox's repository for gold bullion?

I don't think I've ever seen this many surveillance cameras in one relatively small room that's not related to national security! 

And there were even more cameras around me--they were freakin everywhere. 

I get that people are afraid and want security, but seriously over a dozen cameras in the entry/waiting room to see a doctor!

Did someone go a little overboard here?

Maybe they had a bad experience, who knows.

Still, this is beyond dystopian and never a private moment shall one have!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

No, It's Not Fort Knox

You Get Your Own Special Table

This was a funny sign on a table a good deal away from all the others in a restaurant.

Reserved for Mr. and Mrs. Social Distance. Thank You.  

Wow, for people that are rightfully worried about Coronavirus or maybe they're just hypochondriacs, there is a secluded table for you in the restaurant, so you can still go out and eat and enjoy yourselves. 

Mr. and Mrs. Social Distance, you are sitting far away but still part of the living, Halleluja!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

You Get Your Own Special Table

Man Lamp

Gotta love this man lamp!

Probably great for your man cave. 

It stands on 2 legs.

Its spine is the electrical cord running down the middle. 

And the lamp shade is the hat. 

Sort of design ingenious. 

And during Coronavirus quarantine, it makes you feel perhaps like you have a little extra companionship. 

Even if it's just a lamp!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Facebook)

Man Lamp

Merging Of Man

In light of the shutdown due to Coronavirus and nearly everyone doing 100% telework, this cartoon was particularly funny. 

I can't remember--do I work at home or do I live at work?

Maybe this is the ultimate merging of the two halves of ourselves--the worker and the family man/woman.

These days were seeing a lot of mergers like this: 

- Man-machine with embedded technology, robotics, and AI
- Man-environment with environmentalism and greening technologies
- Man-media with social media and other 100% always-on social computing

So why not Man Family-Work, it's just another merger of near equals in our day-to-day lives. ;-)

Merging Of Man

When Planning Is A Joke

This is a wonderful example of horribly bad planning.

The College of Architecture and Planning apparently didn't plan enough space for the "C" of college and so it's plastered to the brick wall at a corner angle.

Talk about irony!

Would you want them teaching your architect and planners?

Oy this is just too classic. ;-)

(Source Photo: Facebook)

When Planning Is A Joke

Pink Bear

Does a pink bear sh*t in the woods?

Like a politician speaks falsehoods!

My dad would rightfully say, "Be careful, don't step in the hoy[t]a!"

Compliments of some good old Native American humor. 

At one point, probably from Reader's Digest! :-)

(Credit Photo; Andy Blumenthal)

Pink Bear

Hear O' Israel

Hear O' Israel,

The L-rd is our G-d,

The L-rd is One!

Hear O' Israel

Holes In The Eyes

IDK who this bust is, and I don't care. 

What I do know is that there are some people (not all) in this world who are very bad people that are blind to truth and good. 

They see themselves not only first and foremost but only themselves--they are truly selfish pr*cks!

Next, they see their buddies from the "old boy's network" where one dirty hand washes the other even dirtier hand. 

They see everyone else as pawns to get what they want--power, money, prestige--and in turn others are for their abuse and as a punching bag.

People born and bred on immediate and self-gratification at the expense of doing what's right. 

Power used to intimidate, to harass, to bully, to step on, to shame, and to kick to the gutter. 

To them it's just what it takes "to make it" in this world. And for them they don't consider what they are giving up in the world to come.

It's an ancient war of good over evil where bad people seem very strong indeed. 

But where we can't cower from a fight for what we know in the end is right.

Where did their eyes go?  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Holes In The Eyes

30,000 Chances To Get It Right

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, "30,000 Chances To Get It Right."

Teshuvah (Repentance) is really not just a yearly process, it is a daily one. And 80 years is almost 30,000 days, with every day that we wake up, get up, and start up the process of another day again, we have the opportunity to get it right this day, this time around!

Every day that we awake and arise is a great opportunity to try again where we failed in prior days and we can potentially think holier thoughts, say kinder words, and treat each other better, more compassionately and righteously.

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

30,000 Chances To Get It Right

Let Them Eat Cake

Do we see and hear when people are hurting?

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)

Let Them Eat Cake

Seeing Red!

I can't help but see red.

Red is the color of an apple and a strawberry

Red is the color of blood and fire.

Red is when you unfortunately lose money or go broke. 

Red is a can of Coke and the planet Mars.

Red means you got something wrong on the paper or exam.

Red sneakers, that's okay too.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Seeing Red!

Happy Umbrellas!

These are happy umbrellas. 

Designs and color give them life!  

Not sure how good they are for shielding from the soaking rain. 

But they do add some shade in the blazing hot sun. 

Florida tends to be hot, hot, hot.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Happy Umbrellas!

Beautiful Cookware

Thought this was beautiful cookware at the Amazon 4-Star Store.

BTW, can't believe Amazon is now getting into bricks and mortar too!

These enameled cast iron dutch oven pots are colorful and useful. 

In a way, they are too good-looking to use.  

Maybe just put them on the stovetop and let them look pretty. 

There is always the microwave for the real food. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Beautiful Cookware

@Macy's - Cool Minnie Mouse

Huge sales at Macy's today.

They seem to be trying to get rid of all the merchandise built up during Coronavirus.

On line was this stylish lady in an orange dress with a white handbag.

On her arm were happy, playful tattoos, including a Minnie Mouse with her tongue out on her upper arm.

Life goes on with Disney characters cheering us up with or without a global pandemic.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

@Macy's - Cool Minnie Mouse

Finding Reality in a Floating Pink Abstract World

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, "Finding Reality in a Floating Pink Abstract World."

But when we return home to our Maker then we'll see beyond time and space what we could never see while we were enveloped in a physical body and a material world. For the spirit survives the life as our L-rd spans infinity and one day too we will rejoin with Him and discover what our eyes could never see and our ears did never hear.

For our heart was hardened of flesh while our soul was molten and deep until eventually we awake from our slumber and find what we always did seek.

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Finding Reality in a Floating Pink Abstract World

Stop Child Abuse!

Saw this on a bus in Florida.

It's an important message. 

Take Action. Stop Child Abuse.

Children are innocent! 

The adults who commit the abuse and trafficking are animals. 

If you see something, say something to the authorities.

You may just be saving a child's life.  

Protect our children...they are our future. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Stop Child Abuse!

We Are Comm-unity!

I saw this painted on a storefront window. 

Community, United We Stand. 

With all the polarization these days, is this still true?

Unity is literally built into Comm-unity.

Divided, we tear each other apart. 

Instead, we could accomplish so much together.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

We Are Comm-unity!

Lipstick On A Dog

Interesting business card for Dog Walkers. 

Not sure what they mean by:

Not just a lipstick visit

I've heard of lipstick on a pig, but never on a dog! 

Playing dress up with a dog? 

As they say, only in America. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Lipstick On A Dog

Now That's A Deck Chair

Love this new deck chair, finally!

Life is good!

Keep it simple!

Have a pillow to match.  

Last chair in stock.  

Grabbed the floor model. 

Reminds me of the Patagonia brand.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Now That's A Deck Chair

Overpriced Desk Chairs

I went on this website for some deck chairs.

They had this nothing of a chair called the Harborside for almost $500. I was looking for 2 chairs, so that would've been a whooping $1,000 almost.

After a while on their web page, a chat box came up asking if I needed any help. 

It was funny because the guys name was Jake, as in the commercial, "Hi, this is Jake from State Farm!"

Anyway, I must've been annoyed at their ridiculous prices and I had this farce of a dialogue with Jake. 

Jake: Hello, We see you are checking out.  Can we help in any way?

Me: trying to download a 25% off coupon...can you assist?

Jake: We don't have any coupons or discount codes. 

Me: Just overpriced then.  {smiley}

Me: Why do you charge so much for such cheap merchandise?

Jake: It's grade A teak which is the highest quality grade you buy but go on.

Me: It's a tree! Why should I pay $1000 for 2 small desk chairs.  There is plenty of tweak in the forest for free!

Me:  Can you explain?

Jake: *Teak. You're more than welcome to grow your own forest and make these but you'll have to move to a warmer climate. You can educate yourself better with our guide here [and he attached a link]. 

Me: Hmmm. Would you pay $1000 for thee little wooden chairs. 

Me: Also, I'm pretty educated.  TY

Jake: Yes, I have 4 on [my grandmother's porch]

Me: You didn't pay $2000 for 4 chairs for your grandmother's porch.  NO WAY!  I bet you got a big employee discount. 

At which point, the chat box quickly bleeped off the screen!

Jake from State Farm...you didn't really buy 4 chairs for your grandmother for $2000 did you???  ;-)

(Credit Photos: Andy Blumenthal)

Overpriced Desk Chairs

Parachute Running

This is a cool new hot activity.

Sprinting with a parachute on for added resistance.

Add in the hot, humid, summer sun burning down.

And you have yourself a decent exercise routine going on.

Hurry up and slow down. 

You run yes, but the parachute says no.

Go! go!! go!!!

You're almost over the finish line. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Parachute Running

Helping The Elderly

Thought this was an incredibly beautiful photo.

Someone playing ball with an elderly lady in a wheelchair! 

Too often, I think we forget or neglect the older, disabled, and disadvantaged population.

These were once the people who cared for us! 

As we grow older, life can get so much harder in terms of health, disability, finances, and even loneliness.

It is so important to show compassion, kindness, and care for the people who need us, and not to forget anyone along the journey of life!  ;-)

Helping The Elderly

Peace To All Mankind!

Today is Tisha B'Av.

It's a solemn day on the Jewish calendar when we commemorate so many terrible events that happened in our history.

We have to remember the lows, but also pray for G-d to bring us ever back to the highs.

Peace, health, prosperity, and happiness.

It all comes from the One Above! 

May G-d have mercy on us and bestow only blessings for good times to come. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Peace To All Mankind!

Good One for Rosh Hashanah

It's Tisha B'Av tonight.

But this is a good one for Rosh Hashanah in 2 months. 

Got to contain the spray from the blowing of the shofar. 

It's a coronavirus time of year.  ;-)

(Source Photo: Facebook)

Good One for Rosh Hashanah

It's Good To Know What You're Eating

Who knew what all these parts of the cow were called when we're in the butcher shop or supermarket?

Rump
Chuck
Shank
Prime Rib
Short Rib
Rib Eye
Tenderloin
Sirloin

I guess we don't waste much in a dog eat dog world!

The poor cow is tasty to eat, but what did she do to any of us? ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

It's Good To Know What You're Eating

Wow, Not Bad For A Toy

A toy is a toy and this one really is, but a Porsche is not a toy! 

Design is an art, whether for cars, homes, fashion, and more. 

Those that get design right make things not only functional, but incredibly beautiful. 

And when function and design come together in perfect harmony that is no toy! ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Wow, Not Bad For A Toy

Planning Ha Ha

Man Plans and G-d Laughs!

So in retrospect, in 2015, not a single person got the answer right to 'where do you se yourself 5 years from now?'

Where you gonna be in 2020?

Stuck at home for almost the entire year!

But you are a fortune teller and are so smart you should've rolled your dice in the ever exploding  bubble of a stock market.

Oh, that's right, you did!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Planning Ha Ha

Even Dogs Wear Masks

Even Sophie the dog wears a mask against Coronavirus.

- If giver doesn't wear mask and receiver does - 70% chance of transmission

- If giver wears mask and receiver doesn't - 5% chance of transmission

- If giver wears mask and receiver wears mask - 1.5% chance of transmission

That's doggie good statistics to avoid the Coronavirus plague.

People can learn just like dogs.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Even Dogs Wear Masks

My Blue Thumb

Oops! I goofed watering the plants this week. 

I got a new spray bottle from Home Depot and I put the Fantastic cleaner it in. 

Thinking about the new bottle, I accidentally picked it up to water the plants. 

I sprayed the cactus and immediately realized what I had done!

Oh sh*t! I just poisoned my cactus. So quickly, I poured water in to try to dilute it. 

I thought to myself how the plant would react and I imagined how a person would react if they drank Fantastic. 

Sure enough within a couple of days the cactus was reeling. 

But I think a person could probably recover if it wasn't too much, so I'm hoping the cactus will too. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

My Blue Thumb

Wow, Good Enough To Eat

Wow, the chocolate and poppy pastry rolls look pretty awesome. 

Salivating to take a serious bite. 

But don't advise for that before taking a drug test.

I heard the poppy seeds may give a false positive.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Wow, Good Enough To Eat

Bucket List

So this week, I managed to check off 1 item from my bucket list. 

I replaced an almost 16-year old 4Runner with a new car that I had been eyeing for some time. 

I never thought I would actually get the new car, but I am so very grateful to Hashem!

My father used to say:

It's just something to get you from here to there!

And he was right, but it was still nice to replace the old clunker.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Bucket List

Short Man Tall Man, What Do You Say

This was a comical picture.

Almost like from Dr. Seuss.

Short man and tall man.

Actually a whole step taller.

Guy on the left, little stubby legs.

One on the right, long long legs.

When you're on a ladder, I guess it doesn't matter.

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Short Man Tall Man, What Do You Say

PTSD Gets Around

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, "PTSD Gets Around."

The Jewish people are a nation recovering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), where memories of trauma flood our national psyche and can trigger emotional (and even physical) symptoms. Whether fear of the next “evil decree” against the Jews, to another pogrom of crazed rapists and killers rampaging through a Jewish town, or even of genocide itself, the Jewish people have known plenty of deep-seated persecution and have to deal with the accompanying fear and anxiety of being the quintessential “strangers in a strange land,” almost everywhere in the world and over a very long period of history.

PTSD is very real not only for our suffering veterans, and for individual people that have been sexually abused or experienced physical violence, but it can also be a national psychiatric disorder based on collective trauma that affects our mood, anxiety levels, and behavioral reactions to events. Suffering from exile, persecution, and helplessness from thousands of years does not go away in a generation or even a century. It is a long road for our national recovery where we can learn to once again live healthy and productive lives absent from the fear and anxiety of another bad Tisha B’Av.

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

PTSD Gets Around

Homemade Self-Defense

With efforts by the radical alt-left progressives to defund and dismantle police...

This is what the future for protection of innocents in this country looks like?

If you take away legitimate police and their efforts to protect citizens then this will force people to buy, build, and use even more weapons in their own self-defense.

Anarchy, chaos, lawlessness, and the wild west will be sure to take over as the new normal. 

We don't need more out of control gunslingers, gangs, and vigilantism battling for our streets. 

Reform the police, protect the innocent people, and put the bad guys away. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Homemade Self-Defense

Missing Florida Vacations

So many months into Covid now, and probably so many more to go unfortunately.

Just missing getting out and down to Florida for a little vacation.

The palm trees.  The sun.  The beach.  A little fun. 

This isn't forever, right?

Hopefully, let's pray, Covid will be over and we can live again in freedom and without fear of contagion every moment of every day, day, day.  ;-)

(Credit Photo of artwork: Andy Blumenthal)

Missing Florida Vacations

Don't Lose Your Head

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, "Don't Lose Your Head."

Woman are notorious in the Bible for taking men’s heads—and I mean taking them!

The great news is that women are awesome fighters, the bad news is that your head is a very valuable thing to lose.

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Don't Lose Your Head

Looking at you, Looking at me

Interesting bird sitting on a pole under the shade of the tree.

What are you doing? 

I'm looking at you, looking at me, looking at you!  

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Looking at you, Looking at me

Awesome Elbit!

Love this Israeli defense company, Elbit Systems! 

They are Israel's largest defense company with brilliant defense, homeland security, and national security solutions. 

Proven on the battlefield on land, sea, air, and space. 

From the advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter helmet mounted display to the Iron Fist active protection system to drones, lasers, C4ISR, cyber, electronic warfare, electro-optics, countermeasures, combat vehicle systems, and artillery, mortar, munitions and more. 

Elbit offer high-tech solutions that uniquely combine brain with brawn!  

Defending the Holy Land and other countries around the globe. 

In the fight of good over evil, I'm proud that Elbit is one of the good guys! ;-)

Awesome Elbit!

IMHO Warning: Stock Market MAJOR Correction Imminent

I went to the mall today.

This is a few weeks into reopening phase 2!

I expected people would have pent up demand and be swarming the stores even while keeping their social distance.

They weren't at the mall! 

The stores were nearly void of people.

The shelves were virtually empty of goods.

Whatever merchandise there was seemed to marked "sale, sale, sale" even on the already deeply-discounted clearance items.

It was completely frightening--like the economy is dead or on severe life support!

Most stores had 3 or more associates standing around or sitting twiddling their thumbs.

This while the stock market keeps ticking up and the NASDAQ is reaching new highs almost daily.

Coronavirus is surging again across much of the U.S. and there is almost 140,000 dead in the U.S. after just 5 months even though much of the population was in self-quarantine.

The economy looks to me in sh*t shape, despite the U.S. pumping $3 trillion dollars more of debt to artificially prop up the economy and the fed lending out money at super low rates.

It makes NO sense for the market to be hitting all time highs as if everything is all roses when the economy is still a true mess!

The New Yorker magazine wrote back in May of a post coronavirus "decade of depression" with an L shaped recovery, yet we keep seeing a V-shaped one and no one seems to be able to offer any plausible explanation for it.

Two-months ago, even before the recent stock run-up to higher levels, Business Insider reported that "the Stock Market is trading at its highest valuation in 18-years."

Last month, Forbes reported that "the stock market appears to be reaching unsustainable highs."

Yesterday again, Bloomberg reported that the "economic recovery is faltering."

Almost daily, I read that companies are laying off their workers (in Travel, Transportation, Entertainment, Retail, Energy, etc.) or declaring bankruptcy (e.g. Hertz, JC Penny, Neiman Marcus, Chesapeake Energy, and more).

This while we are still, in the best case scenario, maybe half a year away from the possibility of a tested, approved vaccine. And then it will still need to be mass produced and mass distributed to hundreds of millions of people in this country and billions globally.

In the meantime, we certainly could be up for a second wave of Coronavirus on top of the flu in the fall/winter. And then the Coronavirus may mutate and become more virulent requiring annual vaccines like the flu shot--more hit or miss.

All this while U.S.-China trade war is imperiling our economy further, and arch-enemies Iran and North Korea remain national security threats.

To me this all points to that we are nowhere near out of the woods and perhaps that there is a wildfire raging and no one seems to be paying any attention!

The stock market euphoria is a common trap and is the definition of "irrational exuberance" but comes after investors have been robotically indoctrinated to buy the dips!

IMHO, buyer beware, beware, beware. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

IMHO Warning: Stock Market MAJOR Correction Imminent