Quentin Massys - La Vecchia Grotesqua

Hochosterwitz Castle

More news of the weird

Russian police said on Tuesday they had arrested a prankster who hacked into a computer system to show a pornographic movie on a giant advertising screen, causing havoc on a busy Moscow thoroughfare.

...

"(The hacker) is a highly-educated, temporarily unemployed and extremely advanced Internet user," police said. "The scandalous film was the talk of the town."

...

Rossiya-24 television said an elderly motorist suffered a heart attack at the wheel after seeing the scenes.

[Full Story]

WOW!

When the marriage fell apart, Rebecca Reyes, 34, got custody of their daughter. The girl, now 3, has been raised Jewish and attended a Jewish preschool.

Her father decided to baptize his daughter without consulting his wife.

Joseph Reyes sent his wife pictures and an e-mail documenting the occasion. Rebecca Reyes responded by filing for the temporary restraining order, which the judge granted.

And

The couple married in 2004. Joseph Reyes was Catholic, but he converted to Judaism -- he said the decision wasn't "voluntary" -- to please his in-laws.

Despite his conversion, Reyes, 35, said he never stopped practicing Catholicism.

Full Story

Yasha Heifetz Music Monday - Gershwin Prelude 1

Looked through a list of presenters at Limmud Chicago 2010 that EJ mentioned in the comments on XGH's post...

Sometimes I wonder what makes people get involved with these Jewish events. I wonder if some of it is the need to maintain a Jewish identity in a society where it is not imposed upon you. Perhaps some of it is intellectual stimulation, and perhaps some of it is just plain need to make some money off Judaism... Geschäft is Geschäft...

Les Connards

Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud.

-The Commitments

Once I was an employee of a regular company. Then I became an employee of a consulting company so my clients treated me like crap but at least I was still someone's employee. Then I became an independent consultant and went down a notch further in the pecking order. Then I became a software vendor for my own software - rikshaw drivers look down on me. I am black and I'm proud.

In other news, I had a grand teleconference with some traders from BNP Paribas/NYC. Let me tell you something - New Yorkers are not known for their friendly demeanor. Traders are not known for their friendly demeanor. New York traders are a f*cking assholes. And rude French traders transplanted to New York are the cherry on my pie.

A visit to Dubbelin town.

Oftentimes, the blogger At The Back of the Hill regales us with tales of all things Dutch. For a bit of variety, here is a link to a page of all things Dublin, where you may learn about such things as Dublin demographics:

Dublin has now expanded enormously but in olden days it was divided into two parts by the River Liffey: The Nortside (where all true Dubbeliners live) and De Soutside (full of homosexuals, foreigners, protestants, academics, teetotallers and WORST OF ALL culchies (see below)).

Or their educational system:

Traditionally every male (female contributors may wish to add their own experiences) in the country went to one of two types of school:

a) comprehensives and fee paying schools (where you do things like art and learn languages and do exams and learn to be a better individual)

b) de brudders (also know as those ignorant fuckers or that crowd of bastards or The Christian Brothers). Here you learned about Irish history, Irish culture and how to avoid getting the shit kicked out of you by big men (usually not from Dublin) in dresses.

Or what to do if you meet a Dubliner:

It is essential not to stare at these gentlemen, especially if you have a non-Dubbelin accent. You must cultivate a vacant intense stare (looking straight ahead or at the ground) and a lumbering slouch and must respond

whah?
hoh?
nggggguh?

or any meaningless grunts that might imply mild intoxication and a mean/non-educated disposition if they say ANYTHING to you. NEVER LOOK THESE PEOPLE DIRECTLY IN THE EYE!!! (Unless you are a 7th dan hard man or greater). If you do, you will be assumed to want to challenge said individuals. They will be forced to confront you with:

- You lookin at me pal?

The answer to this is ALWAYS:

- Sorry.

followed by a hasty exit. If you respond:

- No

the gouger will be forced to respond

- You callin me a liar?

And you are then in deep shite (see later lesson for excretions and secretions). The only way out then is to pretend to be Danish. That will leave them baffled long enough for you to run like the jayzis.

Music Monday - Arthur Rubinstein -Liebestraum

Areivim zeh la-zeh?

I vividly remember the opening scene in Potok's "The Promise". A couple of Orthodox kids from New York wind up at this carnival in a small town. They walk up to a booth start to feel uncomfortable until they discover that the guy who runs the booth speaks Yiddish, is a fellow Jew. All of a sudden they feel all their stress go away. They feel like everything will be fine - until the Jew cheats them at the game.

I always wondered about how things like this work in real life. Have I ever gotten a better deal when dealing with fellow Jews? Have I been taken care of better? I don't know... I don't think so...

I think there is definitely the case, especially in the frum community, where people "take care" of one another because they know each other. But in the situation where I don't know the person, but somehow it becomes known that both of us are Jewish, will I be at an advantage - I don't think so...

1989

Satchmo Music Monday - A Kiss to Build a Dream On

They don't make songs like this any more...