My Shame And Confusion On Pico Bl

Luke Ford writes:

I’m walking on Pico Blvd Friday afternoon when a stream of urine appears in front of me. I trace the stream to its source — it is a black boy, about nine years of age, pissing out from the bus stop.

The sheer comedy of the moment seizes me and I look the kid in the eye and give him a goofy grin.

Immediately, the boy and his friend start accusing me of being gay.

Ashamed and frightened, I hurry on my way.

I must learn to control my reactions when I encounter people urinating in public.

I discuss the parsha with Rabbi Rabbs Mondays at 7pm PST on my live cam.

Would A Former Drill Sergeant Make For An Alexander Technique Teacher?

Luke Ford writes:

Would A Former Drill Sergeant Make A Good Alexander Technique Teacher?

OK, new recruit, stand up straight. No slouching or slumping. Other programs might allow you to get away with that but we don’t hold with that here. Where I come from, when we catch somebody tightening their necks and pulling down, well, we drag ‘em behind trucks until they release their heads forward and up.

OK, give me ten up-downs in the chair without tightening your neck.

New recruit, ARE YOU TIGHTENING YOUR NECK? IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE YOU ARE TIGHTENING YOUR NECK.

Do you like tightening your neck? Is that the way your mother raised you? Well, new recruit, for the next three years, I’m going to be your mother and your father and I don’t hold with tightening the neck.

You little maggot. You ball of puss. Walk to the door while thinking free neck, head moving forward and up, shoulders dropping off to the sides, back lengthening and widening, and your knees going forward. Release your lower back, you septic tank. Stop compressing yourself.

I discuss the parsha with Rabbi Rabbs Mondays at 7pm PST on my live cam.

Obamacare Skyrockets My Health Insurance

Luke Ford writes:

On his radio show today, Dennis Prager says about Obamacare: “This is classic liberal legislation. It feels good. We pass it. We worry about the consequences later.”

“There is a childlike element to all left-wing positions. We will do good because we feel good, not because it actually does good. We mean good. We want to take care of 40 million Americans who don’t have health insurance. To solve a smaller problem, they create larger problems.”

I discuss the parsha with Rabbi Rabbs Mondays at 7pm PST on my live cam.

TSA Scans, Gropes, Xrays

Luke Ford writes:

Most Americans favor the new scanning and pat-downs in airports, but people who are OK with it have little incentive to speak out. So we only hear from the whining minority.

On his radio show today, Dennis Prager said: “The image in the scanner is not you. You wouldn’t recognize you. If you saw the scan of you, you wouldn’t know it’s you, so how is it an invasion of your privacy?

“There’s over-reaction here… It seems commonsensical that if we can not find a non-metallic device on a person but now we will be able, it seems to me an outline is worth the price.”

Regarding Israel: “Do you support a police state vs. a free state in any other instance? Why do people change every one of their values when it comes to the Jewish state? I am certain it is because it’s the Jewish state. When people are consistent in every arena but one, you have to account for that one.

“I find it fascinating when gays support Palestinians when you can not come out of the closet in Palestine, but you can in Israel. The entire country [of Palestine] is not allowed to criticize religion.”

Second hour. Dennis talks to Scott Stewart, VP of Tactical Intelligence for STRATFOR, a global intelligence company about the effectiveness of the new scanners.

I discuss the parsha with Rabbi Rabbs Mondays at 7pm PST on my live cam.

I Don't Need Your Contempt

Luke Ford writes:

I find few things as distancing as receiving contempt.

As a guy, I hate to acknowledge a lack of competence in my man tasks, but since February 1988, I’ve been hamstrung by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and therefore been unable to accomplish as much as I would like.

I’ve had to carefully choose which tasks my limited energy will allow me to complete each day. For instance, over the past two years, I’ve sacrificed much of my life so that I can train to be an Alexander Technique teacher.

And when I shared that with a close friend this week, she said, “Puh-lease!”

At other times she’s said, “I’m glad I have a job that forces me to leave the house each day.” In other words, if she didn’t have such work, she’d be as pathetic as me.

I discuss the parsha with Rabbi Rabbs Mondays at 7pm PST on my live cam.

Orthodox Judaism Hospitality

Luke Ford writes:

I’m reading this story from the Drudge Report and thinking about the Happy Minyan. Its stalwarts Stuart and Enny Wax regularly had Shabbat dinner for a hundred people for about two years until they had kids.

The kind of hospitality featured in this story is a regular occurrence in Orthodox Judaism. Many Chabad shuls host meals on Shabbat for more than a hundred people.

I discuss the parsha with Rabbi Rabbs Mondays at 7pm PST on my live cam.

Asking Girl For A Date

Luke Ford writes:

Dennis Prager said on his radio show Nov. 30, 2010: “I remember in high school thinking that the boys who were unbelievably confident in their dealings with girls were not the finest of the guys. I was very nervous about asking a girl out for a date, so much so that I would sit by the phone with prepared notes so that I wouldn’t grope for words and I would have a handkerchief to wipe the sweat because I was so nervous.”

Watch the whole Torah talk with Rabbi Rabbs:

I discuss the parsha with Rabbi Rabbs Mondays at 7pm PST on my live cam.