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Curie-O’s – radioactive cereal that goes snap, crackle and boom.
Uptite – followers of Upt, patron saint of the nervous.
Cluggernaut – a loud person with large, noisy shoes.
eskimono – a robe worn on very cold nights.
newspeeper – one who reads a newspaper or magazine over your shoulder.
fobia – a fear of spelling bees.
14! I got it!
a sudden change in personality and a lack of energy to do the things one used to love can indicate depression. It is an illness, and is very treatable these days.
do we have to take the numbers in order, because I’d like to be number 14.
no, not really. I like this one, and I think that the diversity of views is what makes this one entertaining and useful. Seems a shame to kick half the participants out.
Yes, they can, but would any of us be the better for it? Pretty soon we’ll have two or more Coffee Rooms.
Franz Romenson Kuntriman – a good chap who would not only give you the shirt off his back, but would also lend you an ear. He came to seize her berry, not to praise it.
Jew Bidin’ – standing at the door of the synagogue, waiting for a minyan.
Bar Akko Bomber — I know there’s a joke there, I just don’t yet know what it is.
B. Rocco ‘bama
Jo’ Bidin’ – ditto
lacksicon – made-up words, such as these, that fill obvious gaps in the language.
baglag – arriving at your destination before your luggage.
Cohenstoga Wagon: heavy vehicle used by Jewish pioneers wearing castoff Roman garments.
Deligate: to send someone else out for sandwiches.
Geritoll: discount given to senior citizens on the Turnpike.
Kuwait-watchers: a group favoring oil-price reduction.
Taxiom: A quotable phrase heard from a cabdriver.
Impasta: an illegal alien from Italy.
Psychlone: A brain storm.
Skid Drive: the place in Beverly Hills where the poor people live.
I suppose I did see some prior posts. I either didn’t read them carefully, or dismissed them quickly.
Isn’t he trying to upset people here? Wouldn’t it be better if we just ignored him?
Apologies and Forgiveness may be among the rarest things you ever see on the Internet. I may frame this thread. Kol hakavod to nathan and oomis.
I think the moderator has the power to close his account and ban postings from his IP. Wouldn’t that be sufficient?
Dear Smartcookie,I understand your feelings on this matter, but I disagree. I think that there are many advantages to the new system, including the fact that one can almost hold a conversation. There are downsides to this instant gratification, of course, as we see in a few of the threads this evening. I can ignore those postings and not let them offend me. Soon, they will be removed by the moderators.
There are unintended consequences to every change, and there’s really only been one abuser that I can see. Perhaps the answer is to ban that person.
angryJB makes an excellent argument against giving young people their first drink on Purim. Hope he is now sleeping it off and has learned his lesson.
this is what happens when youngsters have their first drinks on Purim, then are allowed online.
Are you sure it’s not pronounce Mehillah Gorilla?
Only kidding, chalk one up for Oomis!
why not?
I have a few garments and an umbrella that have logos on them. I don’t usually wear corporate logos, but if they give me the garment for free, I will consider it.
What famous cartoon gorilla was called ????? ?????? (Farsi for “Grape Ape”) in the Iranian version of this animated Hanna-Barbera cartoon?
and here we always thought that Hashem’s name wasn’t in the Megilla (or Mehilla, as Oomis would have us pronounce it.) It actually is there, it’s hidden!
What about the obligation to obey the just alchoholic beverage laws of the state and country which we live in? Is that a factor?
Dear bombmaniac,
I have had good luck sharing files among many computers using Windows Live Sync (sync.live.com) — it uses peer-sharing, much like Napster and other file sharing programs to instantly distribute a set of files among many computers.
I use it for backing up, too — for instance, when my mother changes a document on her system, it automatically changes the document on my hard drive. This way, despite her unwillingness to backup her documents and photos, I have a complete set of her docs and pics on my computer. When I back up my hard drives, her stuff gets
backed up.
I also use it for clients’ office computers, if they have three office computers and one home computers, I share all the documents and email among the four computers. Then, most of their backing up is automatic, and they need only back up one machine.
What about the obligation to obey the just laws of the state and country which we live in? Is that a factor?
Google Docs and Microsoft Office can easily be replaced by OpenOffice at OpenOffice.org.
It is the same as Office, but it’s free, though you will be given an opportunity to contribute.
Also, from the OU website:
Just Say No, Even on Purim
by Kelly Hartog, Staff Writer
Courtesy of The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
Religious groups are protesting drinking on Purim following a rise in teen alcoholism.
One is obligated to become intoxicated on Purim until one cannot distinguish between “cursed is Haman” and “blessed is Mordechai” (Talmud, Megillah 7b).
Purim is like the Jewish topsy-turvy day.
Unlike many Jewish holidays, which are marked by serious and meaningful customs like lighting the menorah or holding a seder, Purim’s main edict seems to be: have fun.
On the holiday that celebrates the downfall of the evil Haman and the saving of the Jewish people from destruction, adults and children alike dress up in costumes, put on satirical spiels and conclude the holiday by eating a festive meal – and getting drunk.
Now, concern over the rise in teenage alcoholism in the Orthodox community has led some rabbis and organizations to protest this last custom.
This year, the Orthodox Union (OU) and the National Council for Synagogue Youth (NCSY) have produced a brochure aimed specifically at teenagers to combat the issue of drinking on Purim.
The brochure is being distributed to some 10,000 OU synagogues and NCSY chapters throughout the country and can also be downloaded from the NCSY Web site (http://www.ou.org/ncsy).
The two-page pamphlet features cute diagrams printed in wine-colored text. It explodes the idea that you’re “supposed” to drink on Purim, and has catchy headlines that include “Breaking News: A nonalcoholic version of wine is now widely available! It’s called grape juice.”
“Purim in general is an amazing wonderful holiday but a lot of kids take it to excess,” said Rabbi Steven Burg, national director of NCSY. “It’s important to send a message in this brochure that this is not carte blanche. It’s not a Jewish frat party where it’s OK to get trashed in this 24-hour period.”
Burg said that Purim was chosen to launch the pamphlet because it’s a major holiday in the Orthodox community.
“Over the years drinking on the holiday has been taken to excess and I don’t even think we realize it,” he said.
But combating drinking on Purim is not the end goal of course; it’s putting an end to teenage alcoholism and all forms of substance abuse – a trend that’s on the rise, say those who work with teenagers.
Some current events have made the problem more pressing. In November 2004, 42 high school kids were arrested for drug and alcohol abuse at a party of a Livingston, N.J., yeshiva student. And, just last month, an Encino boy died from a drug overdose while in yeshiva in Israel, while four others were arrested there on drug dealing charges.
Many in the Orthodox community have recently demanded some institutionwide action against an often hidden problem among kids. And Purim – along with other religious events that encourage drinking – has also come under fire.
Last month, the OU called for an end to Kiddush Clubs – an ever-popular Shabbat morning custom where some synagogue congregants leave services during the haftarah reading for bite to eat and a drink or two.
Despite protests from congregants, some synagogues have taken action. Young Israel of Century City was among the first, sending out a letter to its members to say that a Kiddush Club “sets an inappropriate example for our children,” and citing a young man who said the beginning of his substance abuse began as a child with alcohol at his shul’s Kiddush Club every Shabbat morning.
Certainly, the rise in substance abuse among teens is not confined to the Orthodox community, but the OU’s new task force signifies that the religious community is taking notice.
The whole community is in denial, said Rabbi Mark Borowitz, the founder and director of Beit T’Shuvah, a Jewish rehabilitation house who himself is a recovering alcoholic.
“None of us have wanted to face this problem,” he said. “And the OU should really be commended for saying OK, we have this issue and we’re not just going to sit around and do nothing.”
Borowitz says teenage alcoholism is on the rise across the board.
“Kids are looking for something to get out of themselves and that’s always problematic,” he said. “As things get worse in the world there’s more hopelessness and there’s more need to escape.”
Burg said that the community’s denial of the problem is melting – and that the OU’s new anti-drug task force will help. Under the banner of “Safe Homes, Safe Shuls, Safe Schools,” the new program will hold meetings, provide educational material and guest speakers throughout the country. In addition, NCSY has posted materials on its Web site discussing the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. There is also a sign-up list for kids to publicly promise to avoid taking drugs and alcohol.
“We want our kids to have a clean, moral life,” Burg said. “And we need to bring a heightened awareness to parents to keep their eyes open. Teenagers are not adults. They still need love and a hug and understanding.”
Burg, who is hosting 150 teenagers this year at his house, will lead by example: this year he will only serve grape juice.
A special Purim message from Rabbi Abraham Twerski, MD, from the OU website:
o our esteemed rabbis and community leaders:
As you know, I have been alerting the community of the increasing problem of alcohol abuse and marijuana smoking among Jewish adolescents. It is unfortunate that many people still do not accept that some of our own children are involved. This is happening to children from the finest families.
Given the gravity of the problem and the ineffectiveness of prevention programs, the very least we can do is to avoid encouraging intoxication.
Purim is soon upon us, and many people drink to excess because of the mistaken notion that there is a “mitzvah” to get drunk on Purim. Rabbi Shneur Zalman in his Shulchan Aruch (529) says, “It is impossible to serve Hashem either in levity or drunkenness.” One of the final authorities on halacha, the Chafetz Chaim in Mishna Berura (695) states clearly that the proper thing to do is not to drink to intoxication, but rather to drink just a bit more than is customary (which would be a glass or two of wine), and go to sleep. This is the proper way to fulfil “not distinguishing between ‘cursed be Haman’ and ‘blessed be Mordechai.’ “
There is certainly no justification for drinking anything but wine. Aruch Hashulchan (695) condemns drinking spirits (liquor) in very sharp terms. Alcohol intoxication is an abomination, and overriding the rulings of the Baal Hatanya and the Chafetz Chaim by drinking to intoxication is inexcusable.
Let us use good judgement on Purim. We should set a model for our children by not drinking to excess and by supervising adolescents so that they do not drink. We can all enjoy a safe, respectable Purim.
I invite you to affix your signature below, indicating your agreement and support, and to distribute this letter throughout the community.
Sincerely,
Abraham J. Twerski, M.D.
we were using the ashkefardic pronunciation.
20. (you vanna) Vash Ti?
18. Mama Komodo? Mama Monitor? Hmmmm. Have a Nagila?
No, Ma Gila (monster).
Wow, dear a nony mus, I am awed by your eloquence and the clarity of your vision. I couldn’t have said it better myself, so I will now stop typing.
here, here, Dear aries. Well said!
16. After the failures of Spelt Flakes and Barley Flakes, Dr. Kellogg decided to TRY CORN (tricorn = 3 cornered hat, such as Haman wore)
please tell me what D’or Yeshorim is/does.
Thanks.
William Jefferson Abama?
G.W. Abama?
G.H.W. Abama?
Executive summary of Megillat Esther:
Jews 1, Haman 0.
(additional commentary: As Dizzy Dean, entertainingly and oddly loquacious Major League Baseball pitcher in the 1930’s and 40’s remarked, after losing a game 1-0: “It was a lot closer game than the score indicates.”)
I named my new dog “Vashti.” Why? He doesn’t come when called, either.
4. Kish, because I couldn’t find a question to match Shokolad.
Thank you, ICOT, I enjoyed that thoroughly.
Extra extra credit:
16. What Dr. W.H. Kellogg did after the failures of his Spelt Flakes and Barley Flakes.
By George, I think I’ve got #5
My Ogele, which when slurred under the influence on Purim, came out “Megilla?”
Bonus questions:
14. Ernest and Julio
15. More than one Polish airline
1. USS Hammann
2. Esters
3. Indik
6. Shushan
8. Hadassah Lieberman.
10. Prince of Persia
11. (Three-Finger) Mordecai (Brown)
Don’t most rabbis require Tay Sachs testing before they will perform a wedding?
And why do we admire the drunkard who straightens out his life and returns to sobriety more than the drunkard who merely follows temptation and continues to drink, while his life collapses around him?
And if there were no temptations, would living a virtuous life be a virtue?
I think of the internet as a big city. As with any big cities, there are safe areas and unsafe areas. There are shopping districts and red-light districts.
No one has built a wall to keep me out of the unsafe areas or out of the red-light districts, yet somehow I manage to avoid them almost all of the time. If I happen to find myself in one, by accident, I leave quickly.
Also, is there any virtue for doing the right thing, if doing the right thing is enforced? We keep kosher not because it’s easy to do, not because it is externally enforced with filters and fences, but because we seek to do what is right, and eat in a holy manner. If all non-kosher food were to taste bad, would following the holy diet have any meaning?
Shouldn’t we be allowed to CHOOSE to do the right thing, in the face of temptation?
at what stage of the shidduch process do you start to worry about genetic testing, such as Tay Sachs tests?
Tarzan, King of the Jungle, was innocently leaping from tree to
tree one fine day, when a band of crazed cannibals ambushed and killed
him. They devoured him almost immediately, except for the lining of
his stomach which they stretched over a hollow log to make a bongo drum,
and gave it to the son of the chief.
The boy was delighted with his new drum and played it constantly for weeks. Until one day, he came crying to his father the chief. “Daddy,” he whimpered, “my
bongo drum rotted away.”
perhaps it does have to do with the shidduch system. If people are matched and become unhappy so quickly, maybe that points to a problem in the matching system, or in the expectations that one goes into a shidduch.
Dear Haifagirl, are you thinking of the time the police disposed of the confiscated property from a drug bust? They dumped the marijuana into the river, where it was promptly eaten by the local birds.
No tern was left unstoned.