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Saturday August 11th 2018
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No Humility? No Civility...

Written by: Rabbi Anchelle Perl

Incivility is pretty much inescapable these days, with so many behaving in remarkably rude ways. As some research suggests, this is an epidemic.

“Incivility begets incivility,” the researchers write in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

It’s clear that being the victim of incivility takes a toll, and it can easily set off a chain reaction of boorish behavior. All too often, one rude turn creates another.

Also social media is ripping society apart. The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops we’ve created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth.

The silent killer of workplace happiness, productivity, and health is a lack of basic civility.

Is incivility eroding our culture? Unfortunately, the odds say it is. Politics is also ugly business, politics is feral and community politics can also be vicious.

Perhaps I exaggerate, but only slightly. Throughout history, many wonderful communities have been destroyed by the twin evils of gossip mongering and the pursuit of power.

People sometimes fight; we all know that and have unfortunately even come to expect it. Not everyone can or even should share the same opinion. There is a great big world out there that would be rendered pretty boring if uniformity of attitude became the norm.

But we do have a right to demand civility amidst disagreement and respect even towards our opponents. The Rebbe of Kotzk once interpreted the famous Talmudic phrase, "Just like people's faces are different, so too they have different opinions," as a general reflection on the correct attitude towards interpersonal conflict: Just like it doesn't bother me that people have different faces, if anything it demonstrates my uniqueness and individuality, so too I should not be disturbed by the fact that they think differently than me or subscribe to another ideology.

I may often disagree with you, I may feel it my responsibility to persuade you of my perspective on the issue, I may be unready to be convinced by you of your opinion, yet there is almost no proponent of even the most foreign ideology with whom I should not be willing to meet for a private chat and to acknowledge their essential humanity.

That might all be true in theory, but in practice people do disagree, sides get taken, dissension grows, and feelings are hurt.

It is sometimes tempting to just break away from it all, to take your own bat and ball and go home to sulk.

How can I know when it's time to cut and run and when to stick around and fight?

The Bible records many occasions of anger and disagreements; throughout our fractured history people were constantly fighting and being fought against, and only once were we commanded to "separate yourself from these people."

This directive was issued regarding Korach and his rebellious camp. What was different about the argument of Korach and his co-plotters against Moses from all other rebellions and resistances? Why on this one occasion were the Jews advised to totally disengage and let G‑d deal with the problem?

The answer is that Korach and his followers were arguing for the sake of argument. The sole purpose of their rebellion was to cause a rift between the Jewish people. When someone differs with me over ideology, religion or politics, I may feel threatened by his techniques or upset by his positional bargaining; yet there still remains some common perspective that should allow us to maintain a civil discussion while respectfully agreeing to disagree.

Only in those extremely rare occasions where I am convinced that the cause of our disagreement is that the other team just wants to fight me, with no true underlying ideological position underpinning their perspective, will I walk away from the fight with my head held high and without a backwards glance.

One last thought: Is there any way to repair the damage done to reputation, the public shame and embarrassment? How often do we think about the consequences of our posts?

I am reminded of the famous feather story. A man who spread many malicious stories about others and gossiped incessantly wished to make amends. He was told by his rabbi to take a feather pillow, cut it open, and scatter the feathers to the wind. “That’s it?” the man replied.

When he returned to tell the rabbi that he had followed his instructions, he was informed of the second step. “Now go and gather all the feathers.”

“Impossible! The wind blew them in all directions.” “Exactly,” said the rabbi. “You cannot make amends for the damage your words have done as you cannot collect the feathers that have spread.”

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Civility is essential in our lives if we are to build strong, lasting relationships. At the same time, reducing the level of incivility present in our communities and political system seems almost impossible.

Rather than setting unrealistic goals which may be impractical to achieve, the better approach is to start on a personal level – doing what you can do to be more civil, and serving as a model to those who interact with you.
posted Saturday August 11th 2018, @01:39PM

Friday August 7th 2015
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Search for the author of this quote! :)

"I think the big problem that this country has is being politically correct. I've been challenged by so many people, and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness, and to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either."

There's a part of me that feels this candidate may really be the way to go. Either he'll snap us back to attention or destroy us, but we'll never be bored!
posted Friday August 7th 2015, @10:05AM

Monday August 3rd 2015
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Problems with Bluetooth keyboard pairing

Finally, a solution that actually works and holds:
»www.techygeekshome.co.uk ··· oth.html

Posting it here in case the problem arises again.
posted Monday August 3rd 2015, @10:29AM

Tuesday July 28th 2015
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Worst Day Ever?

Thought this was worth reposting:

Worst Day Ever?
by Chanie Gorkin

Today was the absolute worst day ever
And don't try to convince me that
There's something good in every day
Because, when you take a closer look,
The world is a pretty evil place.
Even if
Some goodness does shine through once in a while
Satisfaction and happiness don't last.
And it's not true that
It's all in the mind and heart
Because
True happiness can be attained
Only if one's surroundings are good
It's not true that good exists
I'm sure that you can agree that
The reality
Creates
My attitude
It's all beyond my control
And you'll never in a million years hear me say
Today was a very good day

Now read it from bottom to top, the other way,
And see what I really feel about my day.
posted Tuesday July 28th 2015, @09:55AM

Sunday July 12th 2015
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12 July 2015

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posted Sunday July 12th 2015, @06:29PM

Friday May 8th 2015
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Greenhouse and some plants.

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posted Friday May 8th 2015, @02:31PM

Tuesday January 27th 2015
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No data

This is what I keep getting.
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posted Tuesday January 27th 2015, @08:36PM

Saturday February 9th 2013
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Not for the impatient! :)

Update: May 17, 2015

My little friend, Snagglepuss, passed sometime yesterday. When I checked on him this morning, he was gone.

He survived Superstorm Sandy, moving twice in frigid temperatures with knee-deep snow and lived happily with us from late September 2012 until May 16, 2015. He should have lived a lot longer, but I guess heaven needed a little Cepaea Nemoralis to fill the ranks somewhere.

Will always love and remember my little "Snagglemonster." ILY, Mum.

-------------------------------


What can possibly be more engaging than watching Snagglepuss (a/k/a "Mr. Escargot") have a light, healthy lunch?

Snagglepuss came as an added bonus one of a few branches I picked up from a neighbor, for rooting, in September 2012. At that time, he/she was no bigger than half a trimmed pinkie nail. I must be doing something right, as he has grown to at least four times that size and is not at all "sluggish", but a very active and apparently happy little camper.

Bought a calcium supplement (100% pure, powdered oyster shells) for Snaggle, sprinkled it on a piece of broccoli and wondered if he would find it, let alone eat it. In less than 2 minutes, he maneuvered to the broccoli flower and devoured the calcium like a kid eating ice cream for the first time all summer!

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· IVmx7SG4
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posted Saturday February 9th 2013, @12:47PM

Tuesday November 20th 2012
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Superstorm Sandy in Long Beach, NY...

»superstorm-sandy.weebly.com/


»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· embedded


Have been without electric, heat, hot water, internet and cell phone (thanks a million, Virgin Wireless - you suck) since October 29, 2012.
posted Tuesday November 20th 2012, @11:29PM

Tuesday August 21st 2012
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Sasha of Vinitsa - August 15, 2007 - August 2, 2012

Sasha of Vinitsa
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My Warrior King
posted Tuesday August 21st 2012, @11:15AM

Tuesday December 6th 2011
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N/A

posted Tuesday December 6th 2011, @07:54AM

Friday November 4th 2011
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World War ll in Photos - A retrospective in 20 parts Alan Taylor

Incredible photo documentary from The Atlantic:

»www.theatlantic.com/info ··· ww2.html

World War II is the story of the 20th Century. The war officially lasted from 1939 until 1945, but the causes of the conflict and its horrible aftermath reverberated for decades in either direction. While feats of bravery and technological breakthroughs still inspire awe today, the majority of the war was dominated by unimaginable misery and destruction. In the late 1930s, the world's population was approximately 2 billion. In less than a decade, the war between the nations of the Axis Powers and the Allies resulted in some 80 million deaths -- killing off about 4 percent of the whole world.

This series of entries was originally posted weekly to TheAtlantic.com from June 19 through October 30, 2011, running every Sunday morning for 20 weeks. In this collection of 900 photos over 20 essays, I tried to explore the events of the war, the people involved at the front and back home, and the effects the war had on everyday lives. These images still give us glimpses into the real-life experiences of our parents, grandparents and great grandparents, moments that shaped the world as it is today. There were thousands of events affecting millions of lives, and I hope that I was able to do justice to this important story in this large-photo narrative format and thank you for joining along the way.
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Refugees stand in a group in a street in La Gleize, Belgium on January 2, 1945...
posted Friday November 4th 2011, @08:21AM

Tuesday November 1st 2011
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Champion!

Proud mum thinks so!
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posted Tuesday November 1st 2011, @04:47PM

Monday October 10th 2011
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Sasha Update

Enjoying the beautiful weather.
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Move you silly leaf!
posted Monday October 10th 2011, @04:18PM

Tuesday September 27th 2011
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Intuition = ?

Love it!
posted Tuesday September 27th 2011, @01:54PM

Wednesday September 14th 2011
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Human Being Recalled by Manufacturer!

Rabbi Perl's iPhone Speaks Out!

Human Being Recalled by Manufacturer - Rosh Hashanah Thought

Regardless of make or year, all units known as "human beings" are being recalled by the Manufacturer.
This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named "Adam" and "Eve",
resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units.
This defect is technically termed, "Serious Internal Non-morality, " but more commonly known as "SIN."

Some of the symptoms of the SIN defect:

[a] Loss of direction
[b] Lack of peace and joy
[c] Depression
[d] Foul vocal emissions
[e] Selfishness
[f] Ingratitude
[g] Fearfulness
[h] Rebellion
[I] Jealousy

The Manufacturer is providing factory authorized repair service, FREE of charge to correct the SIN defect.

The Repair Technician, Hashem, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs.
To repeat, there is NO FEE required.

The number to call in for repair in all areas is: PRAYER.

Once connected, please upload the burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure.
Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Hashem, into the heart component of the human unit.
No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Hashem will replace it with:

[a] Love
[b] Joy
[c] Peace
[d] Kindness
[e] Goodness
[f] Faithfulness
[g] Gentleness
[h] Patience
[I] Self-control

Please see the operating manual, TORAH, for further details on the use of these fixes.

As an added upgrade, the Manufacturer has made available to all repaired units
a facility enabling direct monitoring and assistance from the resident Maintenance Technician, Hashem.
Repaired units need only make Him welcome and He will take up residence on the premises.

WARNING:
Continuing to operate a human being unit without corrections voids the Manufacturer' s warranty,
exposes the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list, and will ultimately result in the human unit being incinerated.

Thank you for your immediate attention.

Rabbi Anchelle Perl
Chabad of Mineola • 261 Willis Avenue • Mineola, NY 11501 USA • 01+516-739-3636
»www.chabadmineola.com/

P.S. Please assist by notifying others of this important recall notice.
posted Wednesday September 14th 2011, @12:44AM

Monday September 12th 2011
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Sigh...
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Robbie's new home, but not caged with the boarders. :)
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posted Monday September 12th 2011, @07:31PM

Tuesday June 7th 2011
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Cybersecurity Readiness Study

Cybersecurity Readiness Study: Sponsored by HP

The Cybersecurity Readiness Study is the first study to benchmark the practices of US and European organizations and their ability to respond and recover quickly from a cyber attack. As shown in another Ponemon Institute study on the Cost of a Cyber Crime2, such an attack can disrupt critical business operations and have serious financial consequences. Interviews were conducted with 131 IT security leaders in 89 separate organizations. An analysis of the qualitative responses enabled us to create a profile of 30 organizations we identified as cyber ready. Similarly, we also identified 27 organizations that appear to be most vulnerable to serious attacks. The following table summarizes the most salient differences.
posted Tuesday June 7th 2011, @07:21AM

Sunday February 13th 2011
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Sasha's "Roller Skate(s)"

The Handicapped Pet Foundation granted this little cart to Sasha. He's doing quite well in it and the only thing he fights, is getting into it. His legs are supported by two soft rings in the back and off he goes!
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posted Sunday February 13th 2011, @12:08PM

Monday October 4th 2010
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Feast of St. Francis

Celebrating Robbie, my baby.

Please consider helping out
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posted Monday October 4th 2010, @11:34AM

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