Lifestyles

Medical professionals lament holiday travel

My wife and I are in the medical field. My wife works on the front lines at a large medical center and watches the suffering that COVID inflicts.  Not just to the patients and their families but to the front line workers risking their lives to help others.  In the evening we watch the news showing these dedicated doctors, nurses and support staff, exhausted both physically and mentally, literally begging us to stay home this Thanksgiving.  The Surgeon General, the President-elect and many of our states’ governors also warn us not to make matters worse. They are ignored by a huge percentage of the population. [Ben Dishman, PharmD]

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Ben Dishman, Judaism, Lifestyles, USA

Contentment, Mindfulness and Judaism

The world has never been more advanced than it is now. Humans have found cures for many of the major illnesses that threaten us; we can travel across the globe in a matter of hours; and we can communicate with each other almost instantaneously. Virtually every problem humans have historically had, besides suffering caused by other people, has been mitigated to some degree. Why is it then that so many of us are still unhappy? Daniel Cordaro says that the problem doesn’t lie with the state of the world, but with the state of our internal being. [Shor M. Masori]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shor M. Masori

What’s better paying in P.A? Nursing or terrorism?

In case you ever doubted it, Palestinians have the same conflict over career paths as you and I. Young Americans must choose between accepting a steady and lucrative if humdrum job or chasing a stimulating if risky profession. Such as a businessperson or teacher as opposed to an actor. The Palestinians last week presented their own contrasting example – that of a nurse or of a … terrorist. It turns out that it is far more profitable to choose terrorism rather than a nursing position or any other employment offered by the Palestinian Authority. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Business & Finance, Lifestyles, Middle East

Streaming Jewish Programs (Nov. 29-Dec. 4, 2020)

Following are programs of scholarly and popular Jewish interest that can be accessed via the Internet from Nov. 29 through Dec. 4, 2020.  All times are Pacific Standard Time. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Memoir: From Switzerland to New Hampshire

In 1971, at one of the monthly lectures held at the child-guidance clinic where I worked, Dr. Marshall Klaus came to talk about his research on maternal infant bonding. He had been to South America and the United States and was now studying the same in Switzerland. As the only bilingual staff member, I became his translator since he could not speak French. After his lecture, he asked if I would be willing to accompany him as his translator during his travels through Switzerland. At the time, I was working on my Ph.D. thesis on children services in French-speaking Switzerland and thought we would have similar interests. I accepted his offer. [Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

The Case of the Seasick Coast Guardsman

…The agony lasted for eight hours, until the day I thought would never end finally did. I had not baited a hook nor cast a line. I just endured the worst day in my life. I was so traumatized by the experience that six years later the Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Officer Candidate School I attended wrote in my service jacket that I was not to go to sea. Seasickness was one of the motivating factors that propelled me toward flight school. [Ira Spector]

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Lifestyles, Travel and Food, USA

Coast Guard Officer Candidate School in the Mid-1950s

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy sits high on a bluff overlooking the Thames River in New London, Connecticut. A group of colonial, brick, Georgian buildings, trimmed in white moldings and shutters, sit serenely among tall trees and a pampered lawn that goes on forever. Pyracantha bushes with bouquets of pouting red berries line the driveways and keep order. Midshipman in their crisply pressed black and white uniforms walk briskly from class to class for four years of nurtured perfection, until they graduate. The rewards are shiny gold ensign’s bars designating them as the next generation of leaders. [Ira Spector]

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Lifestyles, USA

Transition time for elected officials and staffs

The weeks immediately following an election are exciting ones for officeholders, their campaign staffs, and for the staffs of outgoing officeholders.  This is the time when legislators learn what committees they’ll serve on; when campaign workers learn whether they will be hired by the new officholders, and when the staff of retiring or defeated officeholders begin looking for other jobs, both inside and outside government. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, San Diego County, USA

Memoir: A Social Worker’s Life in Switzerland

There are two possible ways of behaving when coming into a new environment if one stands out for some reason—like being the only woman, the only foreigner, or someone with different skills. One can try to blend in and fit oneself into the prevailing culture, which may be difficult or not even possible. The other way is to accept the differences instead of hiding them, flaunt them by being even more of an outlier. [Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D]

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International, Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, Travel and Food

Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Conundrum

Israel is described as a racist country by its detractors. A sizable sector of Israel’s population currently lives in small, crowded apartments in poor, segregated, urban neighborhoods, where their extended families, synagogues, and institutions are located. They constitute about 12% of Israel’s population and most are counted below the poverty line. About half of the men are unemployed. Most of the families are dependent on government aid to supplement their meager incomes. They are prone to riot when they feel threatened by laws promulgated to the general population, often causing police intervention. They are the ultra-Orthodox, known here as the Haredim. Mainstream media coverage of this sector generally depicts them in negative terms. [Steve Kramer]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, Steve Kramer

Streaming Jewish Programs (Nov. 15- 20)

Following are academic and popular programs of specific Jewish interest that may be accessed via the Internet. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Scaling back in a weight loss therapy session

Bebe and I dreamed up an obesity control group to fulfill a requirement for our Master’s thesis. Our idea was to have several overweight people live 24 hours a day for seven days within the same confine, performing a regimen of controlled diet, exercise, and group therapy. Bebe and I would be the facilitators and active participants in the group. With my wife’s consent, I volunteered to use my home for the setting. My wife and kids cooperated and moved out for a week to a friend’s home. [Ira Spector]

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Lifestyles