Will do. Refuah shlaima b’toch shaar cholei Yisrael. Keep us posted.

I just saw a picture of it and I am shocked people buy it for personal use, it looks like a delivery van. Unless the upper rear panel could be replaced with a transparent window is that what they do? or do they sit in the dark?

There are probably two “regular” saxes the bflat Alto and the Tenor, the Alto is smaller, but definitely a little bit bigger and heavier than a clarinet, it has the same fingering as the flute btw not as easy to switch to clarinet as mentioned above.

DY What service is that? and can you block sites that you may want to restrict certain users from? like google search?

popa: If I agree with that, I will stop. Naturally.

It looks like popa stopped!! There is hope for civil discourse in the CR!!

You are only partly right, as I don’t believe one can erase completely the past meaning of the word kind of like in trademarks has xerox replaced copy? Hence people still take offense.

Popa: It’s a historical fact that the term DD (developmentally disabled) was forcibly and even legally (I believe) invented and used to replace the term retarded because of the extent to which it had become a common derogatory expression. This occurred when you were a popa in diapers, though I admit I am not sure of your age, therefore you will not succeed in resurrecting it nor in enhancing your power of self expression or even in making your points well by continuing to use it the way you do, imho.

aries and others: no reaction to my point above about more video surveillance cams?

Also: Try not to give up on the debate and continue to respect each other despite the heatedness of the opinions as there may be others like myself who are familiar with what goes on regarding this issue outside the frum olam and take inspiration from the way this process is going. Hashem should bless you all with harchavas hadas v’kul tuv.

Good thing it is not Tisha b’av when would not even be able to read the book of ________hus.

Now if you get a call saying,” I’m running late because I’m stuck in traffic.” You can believe it!!

I can testify to the truth of Trak443 conclusions we received the scholarships and it was not just affordable but a bargain because the sem was a very hard working one and she came back with 55 college credits, yes in Jewish studies but still cutting future degree costs considerably.

mark levin: Someone up there write 3 mins. NO WAY!!

I wrote “if not too dirty 3 min.” Once it is clean you run it on high with a cup of water until it fills with steam, but as you see above there seem to be those who are even more makil!

” he makes his case that one may l’chatchila prepare food in a “treife” microwave. Here is ???? ?:”

Microwaves if not too dirty can be kashered in 3 minutes which would eliminate the shaila. But do we say there is hanah by bliahs bchlal? also is it derech bishul to microwave?

Toi I agree that is part of the definition of gadol but it is also not impossible for an appointed person like a chief Rabbi to be or become (or c’v fall from being a gadol).

In Flatbush there is an agreement between the major hechshers that solved alot of “issues” and probably makes for a stronger system, since we can’t go back to the old Bais Din system and the Vaad is being paid by the restaurant owners also then respectful competition between hechshers can be better for overall kashrus.

Masaisrael.org income threshold $10K per family member, $4-5K grant if attending eligible sem.

Pell grant available, sliding scale upto $4-5K if attending eligible sem. as Touro Israel student, also Skokie Sem possible.

TAP grant available for NYS residents.

The above can potentially bring price down to under $9K for a great year in E.Y. and the student came come back with close to two years of college credit, this actually makes the year in sem. very sensible and a big savings for qualified people.

Luke: see my post above.

zdad: The best Rabbanei HaMachshir never, ever solicit any places, if someone comes to them they ask questions and decide yes I will give the hechsher or no I decline to give, period. I urge you to ask. A big improvement would result from the public respectfully asking more questions both to Mashgichim, Rabbanei Machshir and business owners. Some examples of questions consumers should be asking are; What are the Mashgiachs duties here? What are his hours? Do you have the phone number of the Rav HaMachshir? How often is he or his representative here? What are your hakpadas?

A few years ago an article was written on a mussar haskel from the Enron collapse which made the point that there is a big problem with the business paying the auditors (or kashrus supervisors) to report that everything is kosher. The author suggested a return to a system he claimed existed in Europe in previous generations where the local Bais Din employs the mashgichim and are paid by a tax on the populace. This would certainly improve the kashrus scene as far as independence as it is a strain to think how a very low paid mashgiach is expected to report to a Rav HaMachshir information that may at worst end his job and at least disturb his boss, the restaurant owner. Unfortunately I do not see the system changing anytime soon. I have experience in the field for over ten years where I worked for both a large hechshers, a local Vaad and small private local hechsher and I can say for local retail establishments I found that by far the best, most hands on and supportive hechsher with the best result was a private Rav HaMachshir, a posek with a small staff who was constantly reachable for shailas. I will also advise the OP that this type of hechsher could sometimes be more reasonable and flexible with fees. But if you want the trust of the public it is neccessary to allocate funds for kashrus just like for your other expenses. Kashrus today is complex and requires time and money and the public is well aware of this and so expects to see a reliable hechsher on a kosher eatery. Do some research and perhaps there is another hechsher which you could request in a respectful manner to work with your situation.

Health: Inviting a family member or any Jew whom you know will drive and they will reject an offer to stay over is being mshtatef to their chillul Shabbos and is assur. If there is a reasonable chance they will stay and they will be positively influenced then some poskim are matir. I always ask before doing it and I will tell you I know this is a difficult thing for some people to do but the atmosphere of kedushas Shabbos that it builds in a home is worth it and when presented with important occasions I have found that my non-frum relatives have been willing to sacrifice the 25 hours and join us.

BeGavra: Jews did not mess anything up, we are fixing up what has resulted from actions of the umos and the yetzer and we are accomplishing Baruch Hashem!!

He went to a frozen lake to toivel one erev shabbos through a hole in the ice and when he came up his clothes were gone, stolen. He laughed and started to dance, had he lost his mind? No, it occurred to him that this was the bottom and now that Hashem took everything the only way forward was up and kach hava. Hatzlacha and when you are back up there don’t forget how it felt at the bottom so you can empathize with yener.

Thanks BTGuy for the beautiful words about Lakewood some of us need to hear that to offset our difficulties with some aspects of what is after all the leading “Torah Only” big tent place in the US.

pba: could be like the RMBM only those whose hearts move them can be like shevt Laivi today and toraso umanoso, mai haiche timtzeh a shita l’rabim?

Health: Serving food to a mumar may be asur because he/she will not say a bracha while it is mutar by a tinok shenishbu if one has a general cavana to be mashpia/mekarev on him/her, many other similar shailas of liphnei ever or misayaa l’dvar aveirah and other navka minas appear in the sefer I mentioned above.