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Ubiq wrote:
chaplain
“I am seriously thinking of arming myself because in the past 4 weeks or so i have had two murders at the end of my block. “
If you like stats so much consider a gun much more likely to be used in accident or suicide than against an intruder. Getting a gun to protect against murders doesnt make a lot of sense -End quote.
Favoring statitistics over individual circumstances is closer to suicidal in Chaplain Zvi’s case.
Perhaps Popa should eat pizza on Shavuos instead. I know it’s not sweet, but some people are “unreformable”… And hopefully he’ll at least have a Simchos Yom Tov.
Charlie: if it’s any consolation, OTD is usually reserved for children or more accurately teens (sometimes young adults) that digress from their parents’ religious path. So you’d probably be labeled as simply “modern”, which I assume wouldn’t bother you as much.
Lovelyme: why would a huge community have a larger percentage of OTD children? Did you actually mean numbers-wise instead?
ZDad: Fair enough. I read the LoHud article last night and it also seems to me the details are different. Time will tell.
AbbaS: 3 million is indeed a paltry sum when it involves so many students and such a huge budget. It’s the principle that they are finally indirectly acknowledging that the status-quo is unfair and unsustainable. And of course, in government everything just gets bigger, so hopefully the funding will grow down the road, or they’ll realize that private school students need to get accounted for more broadly.
Bump.
Still waiting to hear from Zdad among others.
So it seems that the naysayers were wrong. According to Hamodia (if the current deal gets voted on by both parts of the legislature, which in all likelihood it will) the East Ramapo School District will get an additional 3 million in funding for public school students.
AND there will be a monitor to oversee only that 3 million, with the school board having veto rights. They’re hoping for more funds as the years go on.
On second thought PBA, are your famous pizzas vegetarian or maybe fleischig?
DY: Maybe someone can think up a cheesecake recipe for PBA that contains beer…
ZD: of course people jump quicker when it’s against the city versus a different organization, if they perceive discrimination. But “past performance does not guarantee future results”.
The Williamsburg arrangement is from the nineties and no one complained until now. And your Y is not situated in hipster Williamsburg. So basically it depends who gets wind of it and decides to make a fuss. And IF SOMEONE DOES, according to the quoted article the courts are not stacked in favor of religious acommodation.
GAW: I feel like a broken tape recorder. Williamsburg is not just Satmar, and since there are two distinct Satmar organizations, doing something jointly for both Satmars’ memberships already takes it out of the private realm. And they have no interest in doing so. Even if they somehow do build one, as mentioned in the Jewish Week article, they could still run into discrimination lawsuits. And the first ones to complain would be members of Pupa, Visnitz, Vien etc.
The Hamodoa also had an article on this topic worth reading. Below is a partial quote from Prof. Helfand, and he seems to agree with me:
Read the whole article for more info.
ZD: Asking that the city continue a reasonable accommodation in place for decades is NOT the same as claiming anti-Semitism.
Below is what the Jewish Week had to say about the “Let them build their own pool” issue. So this may have larger ramifications than simple pool hours.
[or if it]
It’s ironic how the same posters who oppose cutting extra-curricular activities for Rockland public school students oppose similar activities for their (NYC Recreation Centers) membership paying Brooklyn brethren.
GAW: Yes, we have some hard earned institutional political clout, but on an individual basis the average Joe begrudges us the bare minimum IF THEY SEE US GETTING IT. So when I see pools, gyms, beaches, lots of sports facilities and Easter egg hunts sponsored by the city with nary a Chasid in sight, that’s okay. But G-D forbid we get some separate swimming hours at no extra cost to the city.
Do you realize that the number of kids attending Jewish schools in Brooklyn is close to a third of the total public school enrollment? For better or worse, these kids are not getting their fair share and are not welcomed.
Now if you believe Jews shouldn’t be seen or demand anything because of jealousy I can hear your point, but it’s definitely not a chillul Hashem if others feel differently AND IT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT FOR THE MOST PART WE’RE BEING UNDERSERVED, vouchers and all.
AND WE ARE NOT BREAKING THE LAW BY HAVING SEPARATE SWIM HOURS. The city is currently reviewing their policy. Even if they decide against it, it’s not a clear-cut violation at all, but will basically depend on which constituency they feel more beholden to…
ZD: I know. I’m just trying to put this pool issue in perspective. NYC separate beach hours is obviously not on the horizon, although someone mentioned that Boston has something along those lines. My question is basically why we can’t get even this little (pool hours) accommodation. And for the time being we can. If the city nixes it it’ll be symptomatic of a bigger issue, namely that we’re the ones being wronged when it comes to city services, not the other way around. And that we’re sort of personae non gratae.
Oh, and for the record, we don’t swim in NYC public beaches either. A little accommodation would be nice.
GAW: sorry, I sometimes have a “long writing style”. Hope I didn’t bore you.
The short answer is that for the people that need the pool and have been doing so for years, it’s REALLY important; perhaps for medical reasons for some of them. And not much political clout is needed to petition Dov Hikind. I don’t think any local Williamsburg politicians or organizations were involved. (Williamsburg does not have frum politicians, so contacting Hikind who would likely be more understanding was logical.) And it’s the media that made a big fuss about this, it wasn’t such a big deal.
CT lawyer: Good for you, bu this is an indoor pool used year round. Most people don’t even want their own pool for safety reasons.
ZD: perhaps, but until and IF that happens, don’t you think CONTINUING to accommodate women is a lot simpler and cheaper. Why should we be scared off by a few nay-sayers, which most likely will always find something to gripe about? Why shouldn’t we benefit a little from our tax dollars? For the most part we don’t use public schools or the cultural and recreational programs funded by the city, what’s the harm in having our voices heard for a change? Especially since this assertion that it violates the separation of church and state is hog-wash since it can benefit all – both religious and secular women. Sometimes men may be inconvenienced, sometimes children, sometimes adults etc. (they also have kid specific and adult specific hours) but why is the solution to therefore exclude religious women AT ALL TIMES? I know they are not barred by the city, but because of their beliefs practically speaking they will be excluded if their hours are cancelled.
GAW: Willamsburg has approximately 70,000 frum Yidden ka”h. Let’s assume 70% is affiliated with either Satmar, and again let’s assume 100 women (most likely less) from various “streams” petitioned Hikind and perhaps other politicians to CONTINUE having separate female swim hours at a nearby city pool WHICH USES ALL OUR TAX DOLLARS to operate.
According to your logic, both Satmars and others, which are GROWING RELIGIOUS organizations in constant need of funds as they are building additional school buildings (and expanding existing ones) almost non stop — as well as adding Shuls and mikvaos — must “send out a memo” to ALL Williamsburg residents to cease and desist pressuring politicians as they will now build a pool that’ll be in use almost immediately for its members. And then the discrimination lawsuits against separate hours may follow in any case as Jewish Williamsburg now finds itself in the center of NYC “progressive” liberalism (and because it’s not just one Satmar that “owns” Williamsburg as mentioned above, they can’t simply establish it for Satmar members only). Especially since swimming year-round for the masses has always been frowned upon.
I don’t speak for Satmar at all, but basically the belief used to be that if swimming for exercise or rehab is recommended by a doctor, one should do so. Because of tznios concerns it wasn’t something actively encouraged for all. And unlike other Jewish communities, there is no “community center” to keep its members engaged, only wedding and Simcha halls usually in Cheder basements, which provide an important service and bring income for the Mosdos. In other words, they are not in business of providing “cultural” institutions.
CH: the problem is that the city is hyper-sensitive when it comes to these issues. They don’t want even a whiff of gender discrimination to taint its liberal front.
Seriously speaking, if you usually don’t have a baby in the car with you (i.e. your spouse normally drives her to play group, he missed his school bus, your neighbor asked you for a favor etc.) the suggested reminder is to put something you’ll need when you arrive at your destination in the back seat next to the car seat. For most women that would be their hand bag, for men perhaps a briefcase, business folder, tefillin, keys etc. (Used to be you could put your cell phone in the back, but with many people using GPS on their phone for driving directions I don’t know. If one doesn’t need driving directions/traffic alerts from their phone App it may be a good option to prevent distracted driving as well.)
Actually DY, with liberals trying to ram their agendas, one never knows. But at this point it’s not a concern.
CA: The NYT didn’t mention that other AMERICAN cities have similar swimming accommodations for Muslims, as do American liberal universities. There’s a recent Tablet Magazine article about this. There’s no need for you to defend the Times.
GAW: Williamsburg is not exclusively Satmar, there are 2 Satmars in Williamsburg, and Satmar has less than zero interest in building a pool facility. More likely they’d oppose it. So your whole technical scenario is moot.
Rkefrat: the problem is that since the civil rights movement “Separate but Equal” is frowned upon in the US, as they try to lump together gender separation and race separation.
In Williamsburg, when someone wanted to build a private community pool many years ago, the Rabbonim “vetoed” it. The pool in question now is closer to Greenpoint than “Chasidic Willimsburg”, and is not as widely used by frum women because of it.
Since even Jewish stores are sued for their dress code in NYC, if the rules of gender separation are ruled discriminatory, even a private pool could run into legal issues here.
If anything, as PBA mentioned, we need to get the city to accommodate us more — as contrary to many nay-sayers we are paying our fair share in taxes. So how about the Parks, Botanical gardens and zoos have longer hours on Chol Hamoad? By the time most families get there after a long davening, family breakfast, get “the gantze mishpacha” all ready, battle with city traffic or erratic trains, the zoos are almost closing. Am I the only one with this issue?
Even worse is when they have limited hours/days because “the season” only starts after / during the second days of Pesach or ended slightly before Succos. Don’t they compare their year to year admissions and realize they will miss out on the Chol Hamoad “stampede”?
End rant…
Because we are not G-d and can’t eradicate cancer either. I remember reading that for each disease we eradicate, if we are not worthy another one will take its place. Or something like that. Perhaps someone has more info on this topic, as I don’t recall it exactly.
Joseph: you’re lumping America’s slant to the left with immigration, and I don’t think they’re one and the same. And after calling (sarcastically I hope) blond and blue-eyed the master race, and then go on to say how much better off the country was as British/European, strikes me as self-hating.
I was referring to Hillary Clinton above, not Bill. Her eye color is not naturally blue, but hazel.
Lol DY. But I don’t think our fairlyintrigued, fairly recent BT will get it…
You do realize that Obama doesn’t fit this profile? America is changing to be more multi-cultural, and with it sometimes the presidency will look different. And although I’m no fan of Obama or Clinton, overall I think it’s a move in the right direction.
American leaders shouldn’t all look WASPY. I’m not pro affirmative action either, but neither should we exclude anyone based on their race or looks.
ZD: you’re sort of right, and I guess it’s based on averages. The “magic number” they came up with for NY for household income is about 100k. As frum Jews we’d probably need more. So we’re not really talking about beat up cars, etc. but living comfortably without stress.
Joseph: studies show that after basic living expenses are covered, additional money does not make one happier. In other words, poverty can reduce happiness more than excessive wealth buys happiness.
Our Chachamim were right when they said one always desires double of what they already have.
Also, be aware that for every case of what you may think is “easy money” there may be a few losses like in blubluh’s scenario.
Avi K: these things happen all the time. It’s up to you to make sure the batteries are fresh, equipment plugged in and turned on, circuit breaker on etc. before you call a tech guy. If you miss something basic or are simply unaware, you’re paying for the guy’s time, travel etc. and/expertise. And yes, it takes expertise to know what to look out for first, second etc. That’s how troubleshooting works. Worse is when the guy is dishonest and pretends to fix a non-existent problem so that he can overcharge you, when he’s actually just “moving the lens” (in your case) into place.
Is a Jew allowed to buy factory sweat-shop produced clothes and electronics from China, Bangladesh etc? Most of us have a “don’t ask” policy for good reason, we’d have to make everything from scratch by ourselves otherwise…
Newbee has a point here. The Torah mandates shchitah for killing animals and fowl, and the blade must be sharp for a quick cut. Prolonging the death of the lion is exactly the opposite.
I’ll also repeat my question regarding any difference between hunting and fishing for sport, as shchitah isn’t required for fish, and I think that has something to do with fish not feeling pain, but I could be wrong.
However, if the concern is our own sensitivities not being dulled, it makes sense not to recommend fishing for pleasure either.
Talking about dulling our sensitivities reminded me of the “What’s Wrong with What’sApp” thread, where I mentioned that some video clips do just that by showing other people’s embarrassing moments, even if they aren’t showing anything explicit.
What’s the difference between hunting and fishing for pleasure? How about catch and release?
Well done DY.
But now I really think you’re employed by Yeshiva World. (I don’t think you’re AZ though, if it makes you feel better.)
Like that leaders of poor (and not so poor) countries hide their money in off-shore bank accounts? Or maybe it’s too basic a concept to be called a conspiracy theory.
Wrong, PBA. There are about 105 BOYS born for each 100 girls in the US. Globally, it’s 107 to 100. But that greater disparity is mainly due to the Chinese preferring boys. (Their numbers are 118 to 100.) This is based on 2011 numbers, so it may have changed slightly.
The US (and most of the world) does have more females than males though, as women tend to live longer. And that’s the real reason why more boys are born, as boys’ mortality rates are higher, even in infants.
RY: I realize you’re joking, but just for clarity’s sake NOBODY IS SAYING THERE ARE MORE GIRLS BORN EACH YEAR THAN BOYS!!!
APY: Sigh…
What’s so complicated? No one said more girls than boys are born every year. More CHILDREN OF BOTH GENDERS are born every subsequent year than the previous year because our population is growing B”H.
It’s YEAR x that doesn’t match up to YEAR y in terms of the number of available singles. Whichever gender belongs to the younger year will bederech hateva have more unmatched members.
Kapusta: I believe they compared the school aged children/graduates to get the numbers, but perhaps someone can enlighten us. Also, the discussion is mostly about the Yeshivish crowd, so if your experience says otherwise you may hail from a different crowd or it’s simply a “fluke” as statistics aren’t indicative of each individual’s experiences per se.
I think the words DY used you were referring to about different birthrates was “replacement rate”, which he used as shorthand for the whole gender disparity issue, but I’ll let him answer that…
And about the less girls than boys born as a Chesed to allow for a gender gap, it actually makes sense since girls mature earlier and are responsible for Mitzvos sooner because of it. But we’re talking a one year difference, not three or four… So perhaps that year difference between Bar and Bas Mitzvah should be our guide.
To explain further, since our population is growing, there are more first graders than fourth graders (with the number of students increasing every year) OF BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS. But, hypothetically speaking, we are trying to match first grade girls to fourth grade boys. The bigger the age disparity, the greater the numbers discrepancy. If we’d match fourth grade girls to first grade boys, we’d have a reverse crisis with more boys remaining “unmatched”, compounded by the fact, if correct, that there are more boys being born every year.
If I may chime in, simply put the number of frum girls vs. boys REACHING SHIDDUCHIM / DATING AGE every year is supposedly (IIRC) 10% more. If there are 3% more boys than girls being born (according to CDC numbers) there’s still a disparity of 7%.
Irresponsible posting is the problem. By naming a specific forum it allows people to change chat apps and feel guilt free.
And one of the names initially mentioned as killed B”H survived (and even those that didn’t weren’t yet declared dead when the messages started flying.) So the lesson here is: in times of tragedy never try to be first to report about it, all the more so if you have no real clue what’s going on and are just parroting information.
Some people call the fact that the child wasn’t notified sooner lack of communication, without realizing that someone must find the right person in close proximity to break the news gently to each family member, and IN PERSON. Very often next of kin is first told that their family member was hospitalized without mentioning that he/she has unfortunately already passed away — to not shock them. And if the person has health issues there may need to be a Paramedic nearby to administer medication if warranted.
May we only hear besuras tovas and happily broadcast the news!
To place/set. Now what does hock mean here?
Context is really needed here.
Mods: IIRC I’ve avoided mentioning this in the past and I understand, but really my problem is with some Rabbonim’s short-sightedness. Basically by banning What’s app because it’s a popular heimish chat option with video capabilities, they’re sending people from the frying pan into the fire. People switch without knowing all the details — they just want good group chat — but eventually many discover that it does more than they bargained for. If they’d just ban ALL video capable sharing Apps, they’d at least spare those that comply this trouble. Because new technologies and Apps crop up every day, and it’s impossible for them to keep up. Usually they’re a couple of years late. End rant.
I’m not comfortable providing that type of information. It can be a real michshol