The catskills: A summer long sociological study

In the front of the dimly lit store that appears to be closed, half built, and definately not ready to provide paying customers with the nosh they so strongly crave. “Heimishe Shabbos Take Out” a cardboard sign pasted on the window with white scotch tape states. The sign looking like one of those projects that [...]

Is it ADD or am I just bored?

Was that a stare?- did that girl from across the room just stare at me? Hmm..I’ll wait and try and catch her again. I am sitting, no shifting, can constantly shifting be simply called sitting. I cross my leg and then switch crossed legs, I adjust my underwear sneakily with my hand in my pocket- [...]

Sweat and Mud;Bikes and Mosquitoes

Roots form a maze over the rocks and mud as if the ground were seething with snakes. The snaking roots come in all sizes and shapes, the squared off ones are better,theroud large ones create a huge obstacle in the wasteland of mud, mosquitoes, down trees, rocks and standing water that looks more like someonejustcouldnt [...]

Urban biking on concrete beauties

Man there are tons of Asians in this city, I wonder as I pound heavily on my pedals and woosh in front of a trolley. Traveling swiftly along Bloor street in downtown Toronto, I jump a curb and proceed to ride a manual on my back tire until the front front tire gracefully lands back [...]

Elvis and Chabad: striking similarities

They dress like him, claim he’s still alive in some cases, and even claim to have seen him. They have enshrined his house, they are noticable whenever one lays their eyes upon them. Yes Elvis Impersonators and many Lubavitchers especially the Yichee crowd could almost be distant brothers.
The Elvis fans have enshrined Graceland as [...]

Conservatives: a bunch of hypocrites

Originally the whole point of conservatism was the freedom of doing whatever you wanted as long as you didn't interfere with anothers' self preservation- the John Locke way- this is how our founding fathers intended it. BUT lately this countries conservatives have gone the way of the fascist. 
Conservatives want States to have a bulk of [...]

My friends wedding: a study of power washed greens and Jewish Geography

Situated neatly between my lightly breaded salmon and the unexciting spinach salad featuring wilted spinach and some fruits for garnish lies the lone sauce for these two appetizers. The debate is raging in my head, does the salmon or salad deserve this lone condiment- maybe the salad is lightly dressed but invisible because the dressing [...]

Interesting frum families- rare but possible

The half submerged roasted garlic cloves are floating in a small cup of olive oil, situated in the direct gulf stream of the fan blowing sweet waft of garlic straight to my readily accepting nostrils. The table is set rather messy with a pile of plastic cutlery, paper plates, and the ever present garlic clove [...]

Anti-Capitalists: Blech

I guess one could make an arguement for walmart as being good for offering cheap stuff and giving people jobs, but there's always another side.  There's a lot going on behind the scenes.  A lot of their products and many products sold in the U.S. are made in factories that exploit people and the environment.  They make [...]

Is a sandwich just a sandwich

Some say a sandwich is just a sandwich. A simple plebian food made in a minimum of time, a minimum of effort, and a minimum of creativity. Defined by Webster as two slices of bread with meat, jelly, cheese, or some other filling between them, one could hardly wish for a more prosaic food. So [...]