Brave New World

     The election of Donald Trump has been so surprising to so many that  a comedian  named Bert Kreischer whose podcast that I listen to sometimes ,  who voted for Hillary Clinton said that he felt like now that Donald Trump is president he has been in good mood and like anything is possible. That made me laugh so hard. If we can forget that all of this is reality we have to admit that there is going to be a bastion of comedy to be enjoyed for at least the next four years. If Hillary decides to run again in 4 years then we will find out that 74 really is the new 65. You never know. Bernie is 74 or something and he had a large following. If she really becomes the Democratic candidate in four years the presidential debates this year will seem tame.
       The best part is that SNL has been more fun to watch now than it has for about 20 years. I don't think that this was his intention but Donald Trump is definitely going to make people laugh again which really ain't too shabby.

Siyag L'Chachmah Shtikah

      It is always fun to listen to people talk about the presidential election  results. There are some  rules that should be adhered to when one is at a shabbos table. When someone adamantly supports either candidate is best not to argue with them. They are never going to see it your way, especially if you don't know them very well. When a woman is lambasting Trump for sexually harassing women and you are a man it is best to keep quiet. No one  wants to hear your opinion no matter how rational you think you are. Its kind of like when a woman asks a man if she looks fat. Never respond!! This is not the time to denounce feminism and rally for men's rights. No one cares. I am not a Hilary supporter either. Trump is a flawed person and  has been married 3 times . I never will forget the Trump/Marla Maples scandal. Now that Trump is president elect I hope that he will be a good president, good for Israel and good for the Jewish people,  HOWEVER Trump is not the next god-king. Moreover, the best way for a single guy to gain brownie point is to NOT expose his misogynist leanings in front of single women. If you  have to talk that way at all do so with a male audience.
     The positive is that because the presidential elections have been so emotionally charged some people's filters have been lowered so much that they cannot control their true natures. I guess its good news/bad news. I would like to have more faith in my fellow humans. Lack of filter does not help.

    

Happy Thanksgiving!!

     Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving. As we are enjoying our freedom here we can't forget our brethren in Haifa . We have to pray for their safety and for the end to fires there.

cranford rose garden Bklyn botanicall garden

Brooklyn botanical garden

  Its hard to believe its the end of November. It makes me think about how time goes so quickly and how one must make sure one is enjoying how one spends it.

Nature

   One thing that I really miss about the Midwest is seeing nature everywhere. You look out your window there are trees and grass. You drive somewhere and there is so much beauty. In NYC not so much. I went to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden three times this year. It was very healing to go there. As soon as I went through the gates I felt my blood pressure go down. It was awesome. I had been there several times before this year, but since I had ID NYC I was treated to  a year long free membership. I wish I had gone more than just 3 times. Now it is fall so there is not as much beauty to savor there. My membership is still valid for another month. I may go again even so. There are a few indoor attractions . There is an indoor lily pond, a bonsai room  and an awesome cactus garden.
    Perhaps if one grows up in the concrete jungle one does not miss nature. I grew up with nature and miss seeing it as a daily occurrence instead of an  occasional event.

    

Looking to the future

Only Because Of Trump Did Media Suddenly Care About Anti-Semitism: Liberal reporters and columnists may not have been aware of anti-semitism before Trump, but to regain legitimacy post-election, they had better wise up.
     I have been hearing more talk of fear of anti-semitsm now that Trump has been elected. I have to tell you, over the past 5 years I have heard about more anti semitism in the United States that has zero to do with Donald Trump and more to do with BLM and BDS. Is it only anti semitism if its a republican? I do not know if there will be more or less anti-semitism with Trump in the white house. I hope not. But wake up folks. Anti-semitism has been percolating lately and its NOT just due to republican presidential elects.
        My fear with Trump in the white house is that there could be people who do not like the idea of a Jewish first daughter and Jewish first son in law. Of course I have not heard anyone talking about that. I for one am looking forward to seeing Jewish grandchildren in the white house. I think that Abraham Lincoln is somewhere smiling.
    

Post Its For Peace

      In the movie Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow claimed they invented Post its. I was in Union Square to day and saw a lot of post its on the subway station's walls . People put up post its of their fears and concerns over Trump winning the presidential election. I thought about taking a picture of it, but it was just so weird that I didn't . I will say that this was the most peaceful form of protesting I have seen . I didn't have to listen to any rhetoric and the post its were so many pretty colors. They make the tiles of the station walls look sooo much better. If I stood far enough away , I could not read any of the words and just take in the beautiful mosaic of post its that claim to make America great again.


     P.S. I went to Union Square on Thursday and decided to take pictures of the post its. There was  a man there sweeping them up.

sweeping up the thereapy

rainbow of post its

Beyond the Politics of Anger (The Daily Telegraph) - Rabbi Sacks

Beyond the Politics of Anger (The Daily Telegraph) - Rabbi Sacks: This is not politics as usual. The American Presidential election, the Brexit vote and the rise of extremism in the politics of the West are warnings of something larger, and the sooner we realise it, the better. What we are witnessing is the birth of a new politics of anger. It is potentially very dangerous …


   The above article is so true no matter who you voted for in the election. 

Outside Trump Towers 11/09/16

        I went past Trump Towers on November 9 just to see what was going on there. On the one hand we have occupy Trump and on the other hand we have a Lubavitcher.  There was also a large crew taking selfies with Trump Towers . I  think a lot of the selfie snappers were tourists. 

Shavuah Tov

     Well I guess everyone knows the news. Donald Trump is the president elect of the United States. Though many would disagree with me what is worse than his presidency is what it represents. Anyone who wants to be president , if he or she tries hard enough can . One really sees how chas v'shalom some really evil regimes rise to power seemingly out of nowhere.
      I also think it is so odd that the press was so sure that Hilary was going to win with a landslide. I thought she would win as well , but I did not think it would be a landslide victory. I thought that it would be a close race. I think that the press wanted Hilary to win so much that they could   not fathom that anyone would vote for the Donald. What buffoons. They should have asked me what I thought. So many people that I know were undecided . Many others had a preference but were not happy about their choices. Too many. I live in New York and my vote unless it is for the democrat does not count . I actually wanted to vote for the loser in this election because both choices were so abhorrent to me.
        All of the protesting is not going to change the results  of the election. The only thing that can is voting in better candidates during the primaries. Obama came out of nowhere and won the primaries and elections these past few elections. Trump came even more out of nowhere. I did not think he had a chance.
        The thing is  a lot of people wanted change. Bernie Sanders had such a great support because people disliked Clinton so much. Many of his supporters simply did not vote. I am not quite sure how Trump squeezed through but I suppose that was a way people who were undecided could stick it to the system. Trump isn't really a conservative so those who did not want Hilary did not care. With the media so sure that Trump was losing those who voted Trump could stick it to the system and who would be the wiser. Except that's not what happened. Trump won the electoral vote . Stupid media.
Then again Gore won the popular vote in 2000 but Bush got the electoral vote. That was just 16 years ago. How quickly people forget.
       I am praying for Trump to be a better president than even he expects to be . I am not planning on moving to Canada anytime soon.  (If I moved anywhere besides the U.S. it would be Israel)