The Chassidishe Gatesheader

Fn + F10

Based on this picture: http://skleplaptopy.pl/galeria/n150g1.jpg

That’s the key combination for enabling/disabling the touchpad.

Every laptop/netbook has certain key combinations on its Function keys, usually with a special color (like blue). You use those by pressing Fn together with that one. Assuming yours is like the one on the image I found, it’s Fn + F10.

I never go to a mikveh since I have extremely sensitive ears (had tens of ear infections when I was young) and was instructed by my ENT docs then, never to allow my ears to go underwater at all.

Anyway, yes, there are some chassidishe minhagim regarding doing 100 or more tevilos… that’s usually why every now and then someone is found lifeless in a mikveh.

@zichich – “The source of the story in the OP is mentioned in the sefer “Shomer Emunim” by the former Shomer Emunim Rebbe [The founder of the Toldas Aaron & Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Chassidus written at least fifty years ago. He was known as a tzaddik and oved Hashem. So the story is probaly true.”

That’s right. I knew this story as well, couldn’t think of where I read it before, but indeed, it’s in the sefer Shomer Emunim.

I always keep my coat with me in shul. A little awkward maybe, but at least I’ll never lose it.

Joseph!

I believe there are mizrachim (sefaradim, not necessarily mizrachim) called Ashkenazi.

I’m also a big proponent of strong laws regarding dogs. Everything they leave must be cleaned up or owners should risk very heavy fines (think of 200 GBP / $300 or so, per time, that should work). And, have regular police enforce it – not just a city’s environmental inspectors (who are never seen).

I myself have three cats, but they don’t go outside alone, and do all their needs in a litter box. I don’t know why dogs can’t use a litter box (ok, it should be a little big, but still, it would make sense).

Loyal Jew -“Health, the analogy doesn’t hold. He can be mekabel to wear a seatbelt, to give up smoking. etc. He can even be mekabel to stop defying the Gedolim. But he can’t be mekabel to un-see what he saw on the internet.”

Can he unsmoke the cigarettes and clean his lungs?

Can he undrink the alcohol and restore the brain cells he killed with the alcohol?

Artscroll’s “The Shabbos Kitchen” indeed, by Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen of Lakewood. Has pretty much everything you might want to know.

@clay kodesh – “Again, i dont know if filters are an effective solution for IT people.”

Well, if you ask some of the posters here, IT people (like me) are now halachically obligated to either quit their job or become Conservatives.

Not much since I don’t have much time. I check the news, weather, YWN. Rarely anything aside from that, which is usually a few minutes at a time at work or in the evening at home. Most of my time behind a screen is spent working or studying.

ISP-level would be best. But the moment you use a VPN (either your company’s VPN or a commercial VPN service) and/or connect to some remote desktop (RDP, TeamViewer, LogMeIn, Live Mesh or whatever) – you’ve fully unprotected and unfiltered. Unless, of course, your internet is so filtered that nothing except a handful of allowed sites are accessible and all the rest is not.

Pretty much similar to luv2hack, zahavasdad and kfb. All three combined.

@DaasYochid – “So I guess you’ll be finding yourself another means for parnassah. Good luck.”

Working for you, right?

I’d probably find something else instead, like a knitted kippah on my head. And saying Hallel and partying on Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim. I suppose that’s where I’ll end up if this “filter is required” idea is going to be enforced.

I fully agree as well.

@DaasYochid – “Those who claim that they need unfiltered internet – Am I correct to assume that a monitoring system such as Web Chaver would not get in the way?”

1) Would it work inside VMs?

2) Would it work inside RDP windows?

3) Does it support Red Hat? Or Solaris?

Based on what I understand, the answers are no & no & no. Can anyone tell me of any filter that will support the above? Nope, you can’t, because it doesn’t exist. End of story.

@chance, I don’t understand you. First of all, I absolutely do not believe it is true – Obama was born in Hawaii.

However, even if it WOULD be true, why would that be a problem? I would think that you, being the child (or grandchild) of immigrants yourself, shouldn’t object to that? Would you say your parents – born maybe in Germany, Poland, Lithuania or wherever – are unfit to be president solely because they weren’t born in the US?

I think the requirement for the president to be a U.S.-born citizen is fundamentally wrong, since the US is a nation of immigrants (except for Native Americans – and they are immigrants as well, but longer ago). Why should first-generation immigrants be discriminated against?

In a long-standing country with a truly ethnic population such as Russia, Spain, Italy or India, one could understand such a law. But in a country built by immigrants not so long ago, I fail to see why it is relevant where a prospective president was born.

Do you really think Obama’s loyalty is to Kenya?

For the US, UK or other Western military of whatever country I find myself living in, I would do it, absolutely, without a doubt. For that matter, all Western (NATO) forces are equal – it doesn’t make any difference whether one would serve in the French, Spanish, Swedish, Hungarian or Canadian military. Everyone participates in the major events nowadays.

In any case, I doubt such a situation would ever arise again. The only country that is a conceivable threat to world safety is China. Iran is an annoyance, but not more than that. China is a different story; however, at the same time, the Chinese military lacks any serious long-distance operating capability. They don’t even have enough amphibious ships and transport aircraft to invade *Taiwan*. They could, however, be a risk to regional (though not global) stability still, especially with their ongoing provocations in the South China Sea where a clash with the Philippines is just waiting to happen.

Even though China has a giant army in terms of manpower, and some decent (though not good) equipment for some units, most of their military is 20-30 years behind the Western world at best. The only country they could conceivable threaten are the countries adjacent to them, including first and foremost Russia.

Almost forgot North Korea: another minor annoyance, but again, not a major danger.

What other country in the world would suddenly begin a war? The Arab world? Highly unlikely given their internal struggles. Russia? Pretty much out of the question. India? Their economy depends on the West. African countries? Not in their best dreams. European countries? Dream on, 1941 is gone.

It is interesting to see how Germany is once again Europe’s foremost leader, with the largest population, strongest and largest economy, and basically the leader and decision-maker of the EU. It is Germany, for example, that decides the EU’s actions regarding Greece. Is this newly re-established position of leadership a danger? In my opinion, it is not. Germany nowadays is not Germany 70 years ago. It is a normal country like any other, with the same sort of political parties found in all other countries. It has Neo-Nazi groups, sure, but so do – famously – Greece, the US, and to some extent even Israel, not to mention the UK.

Now, to conclude, it should be obvious for all to understand that any country can nowadays be brought to its knees by means of economic sanctions if only they are sufficiently strong. No country could survive a complete embargo on all trade, and being cut off from the world financially. Solely the threat of blocking any and all export from China would likely be sufficient to stop it from any sort of agressive war; millions of Chinese would immediately lose their jobs and their entire economy would collapse, leading, likely, to a massive uprising against their government.

So, really, this question is solely theoretical. It is rather unlikely to ever become practically relevant.

Now, I think I have just proven that I am bored…..

I’m not chassidish at all, really. In Yerushalayim I affiliated with the old Yerushalmi community, the Hungarians. Meaning those who are usually referred to as chassidish but aren’t really ‘chassidish’ per se. (Who defines what ‘chassidish’ is, anyway? Idea for a new topic!) Anyway, that’s how I dress.

And I do live in Gateshead – where there are virtually no chassidim (even look-a-likes like me)…. Though I am not really *from* here, I just moved here a year ago, so “Gatesheader” doesn’t mean all that much.

Me and my wife also went there for our honeymoon by the way, skiing. Though for her it was 4-5 months after major surgery on her knee and ankle, so her skiing was a bit limited…

St. Moritz!

I don’t know what’s going on with the kosher hotel there, though. Some say it closed. (Hotel Edelweiss, it’s called.)

I spent altogether 7 months in the area of St. Moritz (the area called Engadine), and many more weeks around the rest of Graubunden (Grisons), the canton in which all of these places lie, in both winter and summer.

Going again this summer, first time with my wife in summer (we went in winter 3 years ago, that was her first time there). Haven’t been there as much in recent years as I used to, since the cost is pretty high, but – IT’S WORTH IT!

Now, if you would not want to consider St. Moritz (and I strongly recommend you should consider it!), I would go for Davos over Arosa. Arosa is a bit isolated, at the end of a valley. There is only one way out, and the town itself is pretty small, so I think it would be a bit limiting. I have never been to Arosa, for that reason.

Davos is a bit better – a lot better, actually.

Now, the special thing about the Engadine (St. Moritz area) is the altitude. The bottom of the valley lies at circa 1700m / 5600 ft and remains at that altitude for a length of circa 30 km (18 miles), with numerous towns in there and dozens of side valleys. In some place, the valley gets up to a mile wide (especially the central triangle around Celerina, Pontresina and Samedan); this is absolutely unique, to have such an high valley which is so flat and wide, with a huge plateau. If you walk into the mountains, you get above the tree line within about an hour, because you’re already quite high.

The different side valleys of the Engadine each have their own characteristics, so do each of the towns. I know each of them very well.

Public transportation in the Engadine is amazing, really good, there are frequent buses and trains day and night (every 15 or every 30 minutes between the ‘major’ towns). There are pretty cheap guest tickets (“Gaste-Abo”) you can buy for unlimited travel around the Upper Engadine for 3, 7, 14 or 21 days – I always buy those.

Altogether, my absolute recommendation is for the St. Moritz area; second, Davos, third, Arosa.

And, if you were considering renting a car – don’t! The train ride from Zurich to Chur (the entrance of the Graubunden / Grisons canton) is so amazing, you shouldn’t miss that. The train goes along the banks of the Zurichersee (Zurich lake) and Walensee (another beautiful lake), literally just a few meters from the water, for half the journey. The trains are very fast and comfortable, and punctual. Then in Chur (or, for Davos, maybe in Landquart, a stop earlier) you switch to a small red train from a smaller company (actually the second-largest, and largest private railway company) of Switzerland, the RhB – Rhatische Bahn (Rhaetian Railways). Rhaetia is an old alternative name for Graubunden / Grisons. The RhB has an extensive network all throughout the area. Their trains are huge tourist attractions themselves. If you go to Davos, I strongly recommend *not* switching trains at Landquart and going to Davos from there; instead, go to Chur, take the train towards St. Moritz from there until Filisur (at the entrance of the Davos valley area), and a train to Davos from there. Much more beautiful journey. The one to St. Moritz, all the way, is even better though.

Any more questions, let me know!

Why drink milk? Cow milk is for little cows, not for humans.

@mod42, I wouldn’t be fooled by that. It is just another “get the computer out of your house, ban the internet, if you dare use the internet we will kick your kids out of school” speech like all the others.

In any case, even if I would live in NY I wouldn’t go since it has no relevance to me, my business requires me to have (unfiltered) internet.

I’m not 100% sure, but I believe the answers are no & no based on the best of my knowledge as a (paiying) Skype user for many years (including unlimited calling).

@marvafan

“I suggest that if you are looking for a place to live you stay away from Jerusalem and Efrat etc It will make it a lot easier for you to learn hebrew.”

That depends on which neighborhood – for Jerusalem.

I lived in Givat Shaul (Rechov Givat Shaul) for 6 years: there are almost no English speakers there. Only some French speakers down at Kehati, otherwise, 95% Ivrit / Yiddish (I think more than 95% even).