Travel and Food

By  Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Through the pitch-black night, the captain sees a light dead ahead on a collision course with his ship. He sends a signal: “Change your course 10 degree east.” The light signals back: “Change yours, 10 degrees west.” Angry, the captain sends: “I’m a navy captain! Change your course, […]

  By Danny Bloom CHIAYI CITY, TAIWAN — There aren’t many bubbies or zadies in Taiwan, although there are, of course, lots of elderly grandmas and grandpas among the island nation’s 23 million people. Grandmothers are lovingly  called “Amah” and grandfathers “Akong.” And like grandmas and grandpas everywhere, they get sick and die, and children

  The First Lady of Fleet Street: The Life of Rachel Beer, by Eilat Negev and Yehudah Koren, pub., Bantam Books, New York. 349pp. By David Strom SAN DIEGO — A new book, The First Lady of Fleet Street, is about the life and times of Rachel Sassoon Beer, a woman who died in the

By David Amos SAN DIEGO — When the question is asked as to “which is the greatest symphony of them all?” classical music enthusiasts will name you their favorite, which could be one of several deserving masterpieces. But more often than not, the answer will be Ludwig Van Beethoven’s incomparable Symphony No. 9 in D

  By Danny Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — You may have heard about Irv Gordon and the world-record mileage on his faithful 1966 Volvo P1800. The car is set to soon cross yet another milestone — 3 million miles on the speedometer! One man, one car, one dream. Irv made it into newspapers in 2007 and

By Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, TAIWAN — Based in Taiwan, I nevertheless receive a lot  of newsletters and news tips in my email inbox from  around the world, and a few months ago, I got a very interesting  newsletter missive from Rabbi David Wolpe at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. The rabbi was writing about various

By David Amos SAN DIEGO –Just for having been involved in serious music making for practically all my life, I have encountered many well-meaning people who recognize me, and share some of their musical thoughts after concerts I have attended or conducted. Sometimes, their comments are based on mis-information, and preconceived notions about music and

  By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO –Sure. Lots of kids build things out of Legos or Lincoln logs, but how many kids replicate a set from Music Man from alphabet blocks when they’re only five years old? I’d wager not many. Jay Heiserman, a  two-time Emmy winner,  has been designing sets ever since he began

By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — I am a worrier. My friends and family tease me about it. I sometimes worry about personal matters, and sometimes about professional concerns. More often, I worry about things that are going on in the community or in the world. I worry about the economy, and I worry

By Gary Rotto TORONTO, Canada –It was 20:00 and I was waiting at a restaurant for a chicken shishkebab.  Make that a kosher shishkebab.  Clearly I was not in San Diego County because other than when I join my parents at Seacrest Village Retirement Communities for Shabbat, nowhere can I find a restaurant that serves