text:
Hitting a Creative Wall
I didn't mind the mechitzah at first. The wall—more frequently a short partition—separating men and women in ritual spaces was something to which I had grown accustomed in my long experience with traditional, Orthodox synagogues. Partnership minyanim were not a reality in my adolescent consciousness as I traversed the long road of a yeshiva day school student; but feelings of inequality, misogyny, and the limited opportunities for women to publically express their dedication to ritual Judaism grew increasingly prominent. Everything I did as a Jewish woman seemed to be in the context of a male experience, even within the walls of my all-girls high school. We learned Torah while the men learned Talmud, hailed male figures in Jewish history, dressed modestly to prevent men from succumbing to their basic instincts, and were shipped off to seminaries, whose names would feature prominently in conversations about our future shidduchim, marriage prospects. Halichos Bas Yisroel, a text filled with proverbial advice for young Jewish women, was to become the mainstay of our religious experience. And, because I had "lost" my copy, I wasn't having it.
I remember the first time I received an aliyah. It was the summer of 2011. I was shocked when the female gabbai glanced my way as though I was a viable option for the position. When I heard my Hebrew name—Naomi bat Zev—being called, I murmured the most sincere shehechiyanu that I have ever said, gingerly approaching the scroll that I had been taught was off limits to me and my kind. This was a turning point for my religious practice, as I suddenly recalled a line from a famous Robert Frost poem, "Mending Wall": "Something there is that doesn't love a wall." And that something was me.
My distaste for exclusion from the action on the bima led me to partnership minyanim. Though most of these spaces still had me face to face with a mechitzah, I found so much comfort in the sound of a woman's voice ringing through the pews of an Orthodox synagogue that the partition became less and less significant. I learned to chant from the Torah, properly singing the blessings and songs that I had tuned out for years when I was quarantined on the woman's side. I needed to ensure that when I was called upon, I'd be ready. Women's ritual expression electrified a room of worshippers who had grown tired of the silence of being an onlooker. In the past months and years, as partnership minyanim have become central to the media tug-of-war between the right and left factions of Orthodoxy, I balk at the notion that women are being kept from carving a meaningful space for themselves in some Orthodox synagogues. Sitting, as I often do on Saturday mornings, with my coffee and New Yorker, I can't believe that rabbis would prefer that I be in the comfort of my apartment reading about Putin and Ukraine than leading pesukei de'zimrah (a portion of the prayer service that women are permitted to lead in partnership minyanim).
And yet, on most Shabbat mornings, I still find myself doing just that: waking up late and catching up on my reading. I realize, though I am loath to admit it, that partnership, and even fully egalitarian, minyanim just aren't doing it for me. Though I will fight to the death for the right of these prayer spaces to exist, the actual experience of joining the tefillah has withered since that first aliyah I received on that Shabbat afternoon almost three years ago. I continue to want to be revved up by the feeling of my own voice in the Orthodox prayer space, but when I'm honest with myself, I need something more.
I found it completely by accident. When a colleague and friend approached me about a new synagogue starting in Washington Heights, his passion for creating an inclusive, alternative community drew me in almost immediately—even if it would mean giving up my Saturday morning coffee ritual. Beit Hamidrash Hagadol, a statuesque and historic synagogue that boasts being the oldest in Washington Heights, was the scene for this revival minyan, which we have loving taken to calling "the Beis." As a motley crew geared up for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in the behemoth sanctuary of this synagogue, I found myself face to face with my old frenemy: the mechitzah. This time, however, I would not need to approach the bima for my voice to be heard.
Though women were not involved in leading the prayers at the Beis, a group of volunteers worked together to prepare explanations that they would share as an accompaniment to the Yom Kippur Avodah prayer service. Intermittently during prayer, a designated man or woman would interject his or her own kavanot, intentions, for people to ponder during a service that is seemingly endless and often monotonous. These words—spoken in English—provided inspiration, focus, and new perspectives on ancient texts for a community of individuals that ranged from secular to Orthodox. When I volunteered for this role, never having seen explanatory services done in this fashion, I had no idea how powerful and empowering it would be.
"During the next prayer, Aleinu, we bow our bodies so that they are prostrated fully on the ground," I pronounced to the room of worshippers. The prayer leader's voice floated behind my words as I grew louder, ensuring that both men and women could hear me from where I stood on the women's side of the mechitzah. "Often, we find ourselves serving God with our hearts, connecting to God through deep emotions and spiritual experiences. Other times, we serve God with our minds, learning the laws and considering the existence of a Creator. Invariably, a hierarchy exists within us between the heart and the mind. Today, we have the opportunity to put our hearts and minds on the same level and serve God as a single being – with heart, mind, and body coming together in anticipation of welcoming His presence in our lives."
As I bowed to the beautiful sound of the leader singing Aleinu, I didn't feel out of place in the slightest. The curtain between the men and women disappeared as I took part in one of the most meaningful, innovative ritual experiences that I have had to date. Throughout the day, fellow worshippers thanked me for my contributions to their prayers. They really felt connected this year. And I did too.
Ritual inclusion for women is not merely about interpreting laws in a way that allows for women to occupy a place that is traditionally reserved for men. Rather, it's about considering which experiences —both new and old—will be meaningful for both the men and women who come to synagogue to connect to God, eat the sponsored Kiddush food, and chat with friends. Full inclusion of women is allowing their physical presence, and their creativity, to enter into a traditionally male space.
Want to hear more from Jina about ritual innovation? Join us at the JOFA UnConference on Sunday!
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Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
The Time Is Now: Express Your Rabbinic Will
There are several things that happen when a stone is thrown into a lake. First, the stone pierces the top layer of the water creating a splash. Second, ripples undulate on the surface. Third, the stone plunges downward until it lands atop the lake's floor. What is most visible is what occurs on the surface. We are less aware of the layers that the stone cuts under the water; of the muck it disturbs when it hits "rock bottom." It is the alleged crime, perpetrated against unsuspecting women at Kesher Israel's mikveh, which has unearthed fears of unchecked religious power.
If the allegations are true, the women who entered the bathroom of the mikveh—the regulars, converts, students—they represent that which is most directly and egregiously violated by the breach. Still, others are stabbed by the deception: the mikveh attendants, congregants, colleagues, family. Even less transparent, however, are the ripple effects that cascade down and out, disturbing unconscious layers of lived experiences.
Fast-forward to Friday night, just ten days after the news broke. I am sitting at Kabbalat Shabbat at the Modern Orthodox synagogue that I attend. I am the only woman there, until one trickles in, then another. I go into Friday night services as many do, with the intention of leaving the week behind and entering a space that extends beyond time. Mincha, led by one of the men in the community, shifts into the beautiful tunes of Kabbalat Shabbat. I close my eyes and sing along. All at once, as the leader begins singing Shiru L'Hashem, five men rush the bima, podium, with undaunted energy. Indeed, it is a beautiful sight: men singing blissfully in harmony together. Nonetheless, it is precisely at this moment, at a time when they likely feel the most connected, that I feel the least connected. In fact, I feel horribly disconnected. Marginalized. A feeling that I am not unused to; one that I have struggled with for the last twenty four years as my husband and I have chosen to raise our selves and our family in a Modern Orthodox community.
Overall, what I cherish about the community outweighs what I grapple with. Raising a family with a commitment to shomer Shabbat observance, particularly in the era of being plugged in 24/7, is a blessing in our life. But, this Shabbat, I feel sucker punched, overwhelmed with a heightened negative emotion that causes me to literally get up and walk out of services.
Was it the experience of watching the physical presence of a group of men– all of whom, by the way, I respect and count as friends—commandeer the space that triggered my reaction? Was it the fact that they and our Orthodox spiritual male leaders can't possibly know what it is like to have the lived-experience as a woman in an Orthodox synagogue where there are so many things that we are not permitted to do, like join the men in their drum and dance circle, merely because of the fact that we are women? Was it the fact that the mechitza, something that I have mostly come to appreciate over the years, stood there that evening as a symbol of banishment? I'm incredulous: how is it that in the year 2014 I feel so deeply the pangs of second class citizenship?
Why tonight have I found myself having such an unusually strong reaction to observing the men at the bima? After all, this collective step-up to the amud happens with regularity at our synagogue, and, I often find my private way to cope with and move beyond the separation. Why was this week different? Because this week, the allegations were in the back of my mind. Because if true, the act of allegedly secretly videotaping women in the mikveh tramples on a deep public trust, a trust bestowed readily by congregants on their Orthodox rabbinic leaders. Any use of power to bastardize authority at the expense of those most vulnerable represents the deep and dirty muck at the bottom of the lake. Absolute power corrupts. Who is watching the gatekeepers of our halakhot, of our rituals?
Tears welled up in my heart as I instinctively raced out of the room and into the main sanctuary, which thankfully happened to be alight and utterly empty. Bursting into the space on the "men's side," I took a seat right behind the bima which stands in the center of the room. My friend, who had followed me out, sat with me and we talked. Two women talked, yet again, about our frustrations secondary to the fact that there are many things women are halakhically permitted to do, but that still aren't permitted by the Orthodox rabbis. We talked about the lack of standardization of practice in Orthodox communities around the world. We agonized at the disconnect we felt between advances made in our secular lives and the great lag that appears to follow in the Orthodox world.
Our talking, however, did not leave me feeling better. I remained agitated. Affixed in our seats, quietly at first, my friend and I spontaneously began singing Mizmor L'David. I found myself rising up, standing squarely at the bima, she following in tow. We started in on a soulful Lecha Dodi, our voices rising synchronously and spontaneously in volume, in rhythm. We began to pound intuitively on the amud with increasing vigor; to circle the amud just as we have witnessed the men do week after week. We didn't consciously come into the space to "take back the night," but, that is what we did instinctively together. Creating a holy space through active participation, through action. In Orthodoxy, part of my "woman-self" comes into synagogue uplifted and comforted by the amazing women around me; but, another part of my "woman-self" is wholly and systematically muted.
If true, the rabbi's alleged crime highlights a fundamental challenge for Modern Orthodoxy in the twenty first century. To be sure, there are practical problems that require immediate solutions. Women need additional protections to foster safety and trust and to optimize the sacred that must exist in the experience of mikveh. However, there are halakhic matters relevant to Modern Orthodox Judaism that require additional unpacking. There are deep and divisive issues which must be explored openly by the Orthodox community.
When JOFA, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, put on their first conference years ago, I remember hearing Blu Greenberg speak in the context of the agunah about the notion that: "Where there is a rabbinic will, there is a halakhic way." This purported act of total desecration of trust should serve as wake-up call to all those rabbis in positions of power. The time is now. The muck is calling out from the deep. Do the right thing. Express your rabbinic wills.
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Eliezer: The Servant Disciple
When LGBT Jews re-encounter their tradition on their own terms, they can experience spiritual risk, iconoclasm, and reimagined faith. One way to better understand and relate to this process is through the lens of biblical figures. Eshel, the national effort for LGBT inclusion in Orthodox families and communities, is introducing a series of monthly shiurim entitled, "The Real Modern Family: Biblical Characters in a Whole New Light," which will explore nine biblical characters through this lens.
In order to give you a taste of this endeavor, I'd like to offer a short musing on a biblical character that plays a supporting role in the unfolding of the Abrahamic vision. Eliezer, Abraham's chief servant is mentioned explicitly only once, in chapter 15 of Genesis.
Following a battle with kings to extricate his nephew Lot, Abram is promised great reward. The words "great reward" fall blankly upon Abram as he responds with subtle impatience. He reminds God that he is still childless and that his steward, Eliezer from Damascus, is his only possible heir.
Eliezer is introduced as a fall back, a foil to God's delayed fulfillment of covenantal promises. God assures Abram that, this one, "ze" will not inherit him, but a child of his own body will. Eliezer is the first rejected heir. Later Ishmael will also be rejected. As the story unfolds, only a child of both Abraham and Sarah will fulfill the intended mission and give rise to the covenanted people.
Abraham's trusted servant appears later in the narrative at another junction of threatened continuity. After taking care of Sarah's burial, Abraham asks his steward to swear an oath that Isaac will not marry a local Canaanite woman. He bids the servant to seek out a wife for Isaac from among Abraham's kin. We should expect the chief servant to be Eliezer, but not once in Abraham's extraction of the oath, the servant's prayerful preparation or the detailed negotiations with Laban, is his name mentioned. He is "eved Avraham," Abraham's slave, or "ha'ish," the man.
Both rabbinic and scholarly consensus suggests that the unnamed servant is indeed, Eliezer. If so, then the avoidance of his name may be pointed. He is the shaliah, messenger, par excellence. Instead of being Abraham's heir, he is his double, effecting Abraham's will. For the Rabbis, Eliezer not only acts to accomplish Abraham's purposes, he extends Abraham's moral vision as well.
We are told that Eliezer happened by Sodom and stayed the night. During his short visit he has two distinct encounters. The first is with an aggressor who strikes and wounds him. Eliezer goes before a judge who deems that he owes his attacker a fee for bloodletting. With wit and humor, Eliezer rebuts by striking the judge with a staff and calling upon the judge to employ the bloodletting fee that is now owed him, to cover his debt to the original attacker. Here, Eliezer is playing Abraham's iconoclastic role. Like the son of Terah who smashes all the idols and puts the club in the hands of the largest idol, mocking his father's beliefs, Eliezer humorously (and similarly aggressively) contends with Sodom's corrupt justice.
Eliezer's second encounter with Sodom offers a poignant portrayal of the clash of cultures. The Sages associated Sodom with an aggressive rejection of the duty to welcome and protect travelers. The wealthy Sodomites, fearing an inundation of needy foreigners, had abandoned hospitality for the stranger. The Rabbis employ the myth of Procrustes' bed, renaming it, the bed of Sodom to comment on their own cultural conflict with Athens and Rome (BT Sanhedrin 109b).
Procrustes' bed inverts the ethic of hospitality. Procrustes (meaning he who stretches) kept a house by the side of the road for passing strangers. He offered them a warm meal and a bed. Once the visitors laid upon it, Procrustes would cut off the legs of those too long or stretch those too short. Theseus, the hero of the Greek tale, turns the tables on Procrustes and fatally adjusts him to his own bed. In Sodom, the Rabbis tell us, they also had a bed upon which weary guests might rest. Eliezer is offered to rest in the Sodomite bed and declines. He explains that since his mother died he pledged not to have a pleasant night's sleep on a comfortable bed.
The people of Sodom are not only frightened of human need; they are also desperate to force everyone to fit a single measure. They have a well-to-do gated community that has both zoned out poverty and insured that only "our kind" of folk will be welcome.
Eliezer's mourning for his mother saves him from being amputated or stretched. Mourning the dead is a particularly selfless expression of relationship and love. The people of Sodom treat all outside its walls as already dead and Eliezer treats the dead as still alive. Eliezer is saved from Sodom's evil not by his sword or cunning, as is Theseus, but by his own loving beyond all boundaries or benefit.
According to the Sages, Eliezer is one of nine biblical characters who entered the Garden of Eden without dying (Masechet Derech Eretz Zuta, Chapter 1). Perhaps Eliezer's self-effacing service, his humility, and his love beyond the grave gave him an unusual pass, a seamless entrance into the next world.
This early expression of dedication to both the teacher and his covenantal ideals feels like a precursor to a conversion process that will wait generations to become formal. Eliezer is not related to Abraham by birth, but in the words of Isaiah, he is a faithful "foreign son" (Isaiah 56:6). Jewish continuity is primarily familial and reproductive, nonetheless, access to the God of Abraham and Sarah cannot be restricted. As Eliezer's name suggests, God helps anyone who wishes to serve. Unlike Sodom, our tent is open to everyone, different as they may be, needy for respite, hungry for food, yearning for depth, or just eager for companionship.
Eshel extends a hearty welcome to any and all to join us for a Chanukat HaBayit at our new downtown office on November 20th at 6pm followed by the first session of "Real Modern Family" on Sarah Imenu: The Laughing Princess.
Visit www.eshelonline.org/beiscamp to learn more about the "Real Modern Family" series.
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
The Year I Missed Simchat Torah
I did not have Simchat Torah this year. Bold statement, right? Some of you are probably thinking that I must not be observant, because how could a good Jewish girl miss such an important holiday? Well, I've had a long and complicated relationship with Simchat Torah. So if I start at the beginning, maybe you will come to understand my point.
When I was little, as in elementary school little, I loved Simchat Torah. I ran around the synagogue with my friends, danced with my dad, and got loads of candy. I had a blast, and looked forward to it each year. Then, I turned 12 and celebrated my Bat Mitzvah. Now, I could no longer dance with the men in my synagogue and I was relegated to the balcony with the women. At the time, I was a bit nostalgic for the good old days, but I still enjoyed the holiday. You see, watching from the women's balcony as the men danced below with the Torahs was all I knew. So I enjoyed the holiday and spent it chatting with my mom and friends. And my relationship with Simchat Torah proceeded like that until I graduated from high school and attended Midreshet Lindenbaum, a women's seminary in Israel.
Initially, when I saw women at Midreshet Lindenbaum dancing with the Torahs and leading hakafot, the processionals, I was overwhelmed by this newness. Where I grew up, women did not even kiss the Torah, let alone carry it and dance with it. But by the end of the holiday, I had become comfortable with this new concept. I had accepted that women could interact with the Torah in a religious and meaningful way. I realized that a world existed where I could celebrate Simchat Torah, the celebration of the Torah I lived by every day and studied my entire life, with the actual Torah. But what would happen on the next Simchat Torah, after I left Midreshet Lindenbaum and returned to the United States? You see, I was at a tipping point in my relationship with the holiday. At this point, I could still return to the women's balcony and write off my seminary experience as a chavaya, a one-time experience. But instead, I went over the other edge.
I spent four years at the University of Maryland, College Park, where Simchat Torah became my favorite holiday. I danced around the Torah, I held the Torah, and I fell in love with the Torah. The ruach, the energy, the sheer excitement was so contagious. It was not only the men who danced their socks off, but the women too! Every year at the University of Maryland, I went to Simchat Torah services expecting to come home with aching feet and drenched in sweat. I was a member of a community where both women and men loved the Torah equally and displayed that affection publicly.
At our Simchat Torah celebration, there was something for everyone. There were women's aliyot if that was your thing, and there was "Torah Dash," where men and women gave thirty-second divrei Torah on every portion in the Torah while community members received their aliyot. There was even a Kallah Torah and Kallah Bereishit, honors given to women of the community, in addition to the traditional honors, Chatan Torah and Chatan Bereishit, given to men. Women were integral members of the Simchat Torah celebration in College Park, and I felt like my presence was meaningful and positively impacted the community.
Simchat Torah of my senior year was bittersweet. I had an amazing time, and had the honor of leading the community in two hakafot, together with my fellow graduating seniors and community leaders. But the dark cloud of impending doom loomed over me. I was depressed enough about leaving the University of Maryland Jewish community for many reasons, but I felt even more upset on this holiday. I wondered: Would I ever dance with a Torah again? Would I love the celebration of the holiday wherever I was in one year's time? I suppressed these thoughts, not wanting my fears of the future to ruin what might possibly be my last chance at Simchat Torah happiness.
So what was my Simchat Torah like this year, my first year post-college? Well, it was not Simchat Torah.
It was like any old holiday. I went to synagogue, watched the men do things on the other side of the mechitzah, and socialized with the other women as we stood around with nothing to do. My husband later asked me if I heard them sing this song and that song, and if I had seen him carry a Torah. No, I did not hear the songs they sang, and no, I could not see who carried the Torah. As I watched the men dance with my Torah, I felt utterly invisible and extremely empty. I had been so far removed from the celebration, that I had no longer had any part in it. This time when I was relegated to the women's section, I was not okay with it. I had tasted the forbidden fruit of equality and religious expression and I was not content being downgraded from a passionate participant to an irrelevant bystander.
Join us for the JOFA UnConference on November 23 will be exploring topics related to Ritual Innovation. More information at jofa.org/unconference2014
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Forget the Man, Fix the System
This week marks the fifteenth anniversary of my conversion to Judaism.
As for so many others, my process of entering into the Orthodox Jewish community was long and arduous. And sadly, like so many others, I became a victim of sexual assault while on the course of my journey. (I mention the assault only because I could not have written this article without reflecting upon that experience.)
My conversion was not a horror story. My attack was not perpetrated by anyone involved in the process. On the contrary, I hold those who assisted in my conversion in the very highest esteem. And to get it out of the way, I am not one of Rabbi Barry Freundel's alleged victims, though I both studied and worked with him, and painfully, even referred female converts to him.
My personal reflections on the man are beside the point for the moment. My concerns pertain to the integrity of the conversion system in toto: a system in which I have been a participant, a system through which I have guided others, and a system to which I commit my life's work.
That system is broken.
With the RCA's formation of a panel to review the current conversion process, we begin the necessary process of examining procedures that have helped numerous candidates, including myself, but failed too many men and women. As one who experienced the vulnerability of conversion, the helplessness of sexual violation, and the satisfaction of guiding others through their journeys to Judaism, I offer some thoughts on how we might want to frame this troubling case.
1) Sexual abuse, including voyeurism, is primarily about power and secondarily about sex.
Accusations of serial abuse during a mysterious initiation ritual make great fodder for news outlets. However, the less titillating, more ubiquitous, and truly urgent problem is the potential for abuses of power by religious courts who perform conversions.
Firstly, If we see Freundel's alleged voyeurism as a case of power abuse, rather than a case of sexual abuse, we may place it within a long standing pattern of behavior—bullying, threatening, intimidation and self-aggrandizement—some of which was legal, some (perhaps) illegal or unethical, but all of it troubling. In the future, we might be quicker to interrogate a clergy member's relationship to power and control. We might better train our clergy and laity to identify and interrupt both sexual and non-sexual microagressions. Individuals who habitually cross the bounds of personal space and social propriety are not all sexual offenders, but we must be vigilant.
Secondly, describing Freundel's alleged transgressions in primarily sexual terms renders the sinner too conveniently "other." While few among us have been personally accused of sexual misconduct, an uncomfortably large number of us should ask, "What infractions have I committed in my use of power and influence?" and, "When have I turned a blind eye to the abusive behavior of others?" Framing this case as an abuse of power lets fall the barrier between the accused and the accusers, making uncomfortable self-reflection possible.
2) Employ the rhetoric of collective guilt cautiously.
Several articles have made varieties of the "we are all guilty" claim. I sympathize with the sentiment, but urge caution in employing the rhetoric of collective guilt. The last thing any victimized person needs to hear is, "we are all guilty." For leaders and laity, parsing the issue of blame and responsibility is genuinely nerve-wracking and requires brutal honesty. If overused, the unqualified "we are all guilty" message becomes unhelpful background noise to this difficult meditation.
One of the most terrifying truisms about leadership is that you cannot have guilt in the absence of responsibility and you cannot have responsibility in the absence of power. We can argue about how and why disenfranchisement occurs, but those who are excluded from leadership cannot be blamed to the same extent as those who currently hold authoritative positions. It's interesting to note how, in this case, the extremes of power and powerlessness in voyeurism correlate with the extremes of power and powerlessness in conversion. These extremes are the crux of the issue. The language we use to describe this case must accurately capture the topography of power. Mapping power dynamics is the first step towards analyzing existing policy and constructing something better in its place.
3) Giving women the "keys to the mikveh" is necessary but not sufficient.
One corollary to the axiom, "power is a prerequisite for guilt" is that putting any person—man or woman—in a position of power unlocks the potential for misuse of that power. It is naïve (and blindly heteronormative) to assume that involving women nullifies the risk of sex scandal or power abuse. Re-framing this incident more broadly will encourage us to seek solutions that go beyond sex and gender.
To be clear: women's involvement—as permitted by Jewish law– is absolutely necessary. Having women present at the mikveh ceremony, having women formally educate female conversion candidates, or having them serve in the role of ombudspeople are all great suggestions. But, I have two concerns. First, unless women are involved in actually crafting policy, we are paying lip service to their inclusion.
Secondly, plugging women into a broken system won't fix the system, and I speak here from painful experience. Over the past few years I had the opportunity to shepherd and mentor converts who were working with the Washington, D.C. beit din. Working with Rabbi Freundel, I served as a resource for candidates, teaching them, answering their questions, and facilitating their relationship with the beit din. Sadly, even my direct involvement was not enough to protect the alleged victims.
4) Threats of nullifying existing conversions must end.
A convert pays dearly every time her judges are judged. Why? Because trust—at least, a variety of trust—is elicited in light of shared norms and predicated upon the spoken or unspoken assumption that these norms will remain constant. Once these norms no longer exist, or once they are shown to have never existed, trust is shattered. As a conversion advocate, I chose to work with the RCA rather than with ad hoc batei din largely because I thought their Gerus Protocol and Standards offered the best chance for the candidates broad communal acceptance and minimized the chance that they would be asked to "re-convert." There is nothing more painful than having to be dragged back underwater because the last time you stood naked in front of judges somehow wasn't enough.
In my opinion, broad community consensus on matters of personal status serves the best interest of Orthodox converts. In conversions, religious courts act as proxy for the entire community. But when courts become points of contention, their halakhic function and meaning are undercut. I worry that this scandal will completely shatter the consensus built around the essentially helpful Gerus Protocols and Standards. If we are to re-build trust between conversion candidates and the rabbinate, we must find a way to build consensus without consolidating too much power in a small group of rabbinic authorities.
I mark the fifteenth anniversary of my first conversion as a student and teacher of Torah. I am married with two beautiful children. I live in a vibrant Orthodox community. In short, I couldn't be happier. I have so much more to lose now than I did fifteen years ago. If my conversion were challenged today, I would lose—at least temporarily—my family, my tranquility, my marriage, my identity, and my trust in my community. We are obligated to do everything we can to ensure that no convert ever faces such crippling loss.
We are angry, and we should be. When Freundel was arrested on October 14th, I couldn't stop watching the story unfold—I'd press refresh on my browser hourly. I'm not at all proud of it, but I felt a deep need to watch Freundel's downfall from afar, perhaps as payback for the many acts of surreptitious watching he (allegedly) performed. Regardless of the legal outcome, the anger, hurt and distrust sewn by one man will linger…and linger…and linger. The pace of healing is not dictated by the news cycle. But we owe it to converts everywhere to attend to the broken system. It's time.
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Tomorrow Night
I am supposed to go to the mikveh tomorrow night.
The mikveh and I have never been friends; the first time I immersed, before my wedding, I noticed immediately afterwards that I had a tiny hangnail, which according to what I had recently been taught, might invalidate my immersion. Sitting outside in my car, I agonized for an hour, and then called our rabbi, who directed me to re-dunk and repeat my immersion.
Over the nearly twenty years of my marriage, my body has continued to fail to fit neatly into the laws of taharat hamishpacha, or family purity; imperfectly bleeding longer than the textbook five days, problematically spotting between cycles, which necessitated displays of the bloody stains to a rabbi's knowing eyes for a ruling about my "pure" or "impure" status.I have carefully followed the laws of taharat hamishpacha, which dictate that a married couple must abstain from sexual contact during a woman's menstrual period, and for the seven following "clean" days. Thereafter, the woman must immerse to become "pure" and sexually available. Spotting between cycles renders a woman's status questionable, and requires a ruling from a rabbi to clarify her status. According to law and tradition, observing these laws would bring holiness to me, my husband, and our relationship.
As my period lasts a minimum of seven or eight days, and I frequently spot during the seven "clean" days, and throughout the remainder of my cycle, my husband and I must abstain from physical and sexual contact for over two weeks each month. I nearly couldn't become pregnant with our second child because I repeatedly ovulated before immersion, when sexual intercourse was forbidden. Frequently, mid-cycle spotting prevents us from being intimate.
My supportive, patient husband and I have been fortunate to consult with wise and sympathetic rabbis, who have instructed us to rely on many leniencies, without which we would never have been able to be intimate or to conceive. Nonetheless, I have been told more times than I can count that I needed to see a doctor to evaluate if something was "wrong" with me. Instead of the rabbis accepting my explanation that my body's behavior was simply "my normal," they repeatedly advised me that I should endure yet another internal medical exam.
Directed. Instructed. Told. Advised. Endure.
I am over forty. I expect that over the next decade, my cycle will become – if it is possible – even more irregular, and my struggles with taharat hamishpacha will increase before menopause blessedly releases me from my required monthly observance of these laws. The angst I felt over that first tiny hangnail was nothing compared to the exhausting, anxiety-provoking, recurring uncertainty I have experienced upon seeing blood – yet again – on my panty liner. Having to decide, over, and over, and over again "Am I pure? Am I impure? Can we have sex? If we don't have sex, will my marriage be harmed? If we do have sex, will it be a sin? Should I consult our rabbi again? Should I not?" Every time, no matter what choice I make, I feel guilty, and uncertain, and wrong – impure both physically and spiritually.
Last week's allegations about Rabbi Barry Freundel brought my anguish and fears about taharat hamishpacha to the fore. The idea that a powerful, authoritative man with decision-making power was watching a disempowered, rule-following woman while she was naked and vulnerable in the mikveh—struck forcefully to the very core of my feelings about my faithful adherence to these laws. As I read the initial news report, a cold descended over me and I began to shake. Throughout my entire marriage, I have felt that there was a metaphorical hidden camera in my bathroom, my bedroom, my body, my soul. I have trembled, trying always to do the indeterminate and elusive right thing, feeling watched by the rabbis who wrote the laws of taharat hamishpacha; by my rabbi, who inspected the stains on my underwear and judged my status; by my fearful, rule-following inner child, yearning to please, terrified of making a mistake; and by God. Now, in black and white, glowing on my iPhone screen, was a report of a rabbi filming a woman doing exactly what she was directed to do, following to the letter the instructions and advice she was given, all in the name of achieving holiness. And yet, despite her faithful obedience, her holiness was stolen from her by the very one who instructed her in its achievement.
For nearly twenty years, rabbis and doctors have probed and prodded, inserted themselves between me and my husband, between me and God, and perhaps worst of all—between me and myself. All these years, I may not have sinned. But achieved holiness? There, I believe, we all have failed.
I am supposed to go to the mikveh tomorrow night.
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Open the Mikveh During the Day
Vashti is a heroine of the Purim story because she chose not to expose her naked body to the Court despite the King's requests. Unfortunately, she is put to death because of this. Esther, on the other hand, wins the King's favor, survives and saves the entire Jewish people! The Purim story seems relevant to an analysis of the Washington D.C. mikvah case and to support the idea that the mikvah should stay open for women to immerse during the day.
When my husband Jeffrey and I first heard about the arrest two weeks ago, we immediately started following the news, recognized the hidden camera device from the mikveh, and decided to go to the Washington D.C. courthouse to report our story to the prosecutors and witness the court proceedings. After we volunteered to speak to the media, our video and story appeared on television and in print. This brought us more fame than ever before. But, according to our local Orthodox rabbi, speaking to the media was not the right thing to do.
Because we publicly spoke out against Rabbi Freundel, and supported the allegations against him, we have been made to feel unwelcome in our Orthodox synagogue. The rabbi specifically told us not to speak about the allegations against Freundel, which he considered to be lashon hara. On Simchat Torah, the synagogue's founder came over to me and silenced a discussion I was having with my husband, Jeffrey, and the rabbi of a retirement home about the violation. An October 20 statement by the Vaad Hakashrus of Greater Washington illustrates the hostility we feel directed at us. The statement essentially sides with the accused by invalidating testimony made by only one witness. However, my testimony was in addition to six other witnesses documented anonymously by the court. Despite the Vaad's claim to reach out to potential victims, we have not heard one word of support or assistance from our affiliated synagogue's rabbi who worked closely with Rabbi Freundel on halakhic matters.
How could we be quiet when leaders of the community seemed to side with a criminal? As the mikvah's hidden camera likened us to a blindfolded Vashti, our rabbi preferred to be blind and deaf and to ignore our story. We had to leave the hostile environment. In contrast, the rabbi at the Conservative synagogue right next door delivered a supportive message on Shabbat Bereshit.
On Simchat Torah, we are supposed to dance and celebrate with the Torah. But, the Orthodox synagogue added salt to our wounds. No one tried to console us, we were told repeatedly to keep quiet and to try to enjoy the holiday and watch men dance with the Torah. But, ignorance is not bliss. Ignoring this most high-profile case, a hillul hashem, reinforced a problem within the community. Voluntary blindness or brushing warning signs under the rug may be why such a violation could have happened in the first place. The truth is black and white.
The Torah tells us to be God-like, taking guidance from the thirteen Divine attributes. God is all-seeing, but is not a voyeur. God is perfect. May we all learn to make good decisions by acting in God-like ways.
Changing leadership structures and setting up rabbinic oversight committees may remedy the problems of abuse of power, but there should also be changes to the mikvah itself. Typically, Orthodox mikvahs are only open to women at night, ostensibly to preserve the women's privacy. In light of the recent mikvah violations, women's privacy cannot be guaranteed in the morning or in the night, so only opening a mikvah at night to protect a woman's privacy is ridiculous. Daytime hours may better protect women by encouraging them to speak up when something is not right. Daytime hours could remove the stumbling block from the blind.
The Orthodox mikvah is a protected, private place for women and converts. Only a woman's husband needs to know when she immerses, converts rarely reveal that they converted, and it is halakhically permitted to lie in order to safeguard the privacy of one's immersion in a mikvah. Encouraging women and converts to hide the powerful experience of immersing in a mikvah and distracting them with the additions of a spa-like atmosphere further encourages them to ignore supposedly minor details such as who else is at the mikvah, who is in charge of the mikvah, and whether there is any impropriety at the mikvah. Now more than ever, we must adapt the culture of secrecy and retreat surrounding the Orthodox mikvah. The mikvah can be a great place to reach higher emotional and spiritual levels, and the evening-only secretive spa-like atmosphere is unnecessary. Simplifying the mikvah and changing the opening hours to be more flexible are just steps in the direction of removing the stigma surrounding the mikvah.
In the Purim story, God is the elephant in the room. This Simchat Torah, the mikvah case was the elephant in the room. While Vashti lost her life and may have made the wrong choice by refusing to do the King's bidding, both she and Esther acted out of free will. We can choose which mikvah to go to, but also whether to go to any mikvah at all.
Women need to speak up about mikvah, especially since it is one of the three mitzvot directly commanded of women. Women should not be embarrassed or silenced about using the mikvah. It is time to shed light on the mikvah, bring it out of the dark, and open the mikvah during daytime hours.
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Dr. Seuss, Rashi and Sydney Taylor: A Study of Creating Ritual
In my mind, the definitive tale of sisterhood was not the conventionally chosen classic, Little Women, but rather the All-of-a-Kind Family series. To eight-year-old me, those books were perfection: I read them like they were scripture. Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertie (and Charlie, born later and the only boy) probably shaped my vision of what family and sisterhood should be. True, they were a poor immigrant family at the turn of the 20th century living in the Lower East Side and I was a not poor, not immigrant child, not living at the turn of the 20th century, living in Toronto, but subtlety was never my strong point.
Those sisters did it right. They went to the library, they bought penny candy, and they had Shabbat dinner. Sure, Henny was a troublemaker and Sarah even lost a library book once, but even in their delinquency I loved them.
All this goes to explain that somewhere, deep inside of me, I always thought I'd be a mother of girls. I blame Sydney Taylor and her glorious books. I thought I'd be a mother of daughters. They'd love each other and fight with each other and braid each other's hair. Instead, I had one daughter (off to a great start, I thought) and then four boys.
My daughter was born five weeks early. We didn't have time (or foresight) to pick out a name and, perhaps more significantly, figure out how to celebrate her birth with a Simchat Bat ceremony. It turns out that when you grew up as a Modern Orthodox Feminist (all words that are so charged with multiple meanings that I could easily be persuaded to align myself with none of them as well as all of them) and you have a girl, it becomes a pretty big deal. At least, it became a really big deal to me. Add all of that anxiety of how to properly welcome a girl into a society which has no organized ritual in place for girl-welcoming, to sleepless nights and crazy hormones and you have… me and my very patient, very thoughtful husband sitting up at 3 am the night before our daughter's Simchat Bat collecting prayers, wishes and quotes on how to raise a daughter which we turned into centerpieces on each table. Think Dr. Seuss meets Rashi.
At the ceremony, I stumbled through some Dvar Torah welcoming our baby and expounded on the need to create a way to embrace daughters. I probably talked for too long and maybe got a bit preachy, but we served really good cake so I think people were kind enough to let it slide.
I love/hate the murkiness of raising a daughter in this world. I get it right sometimes and I get it so very wrong some times (like yesterday, I got it wrong yesterday). At what age does she attend a women's megillah reading with me? Is it okay for me to separate her from her friends in synagogue so that she joins me and my agenda? If she isn't comfortable with my version of Simchat Torah, do I tread lightly or turn it into a teachable moment? And all of that angst is okay.
What would Sydney say? She has become a de facto guru of mine. I look to her for wisdom. And I read my daughter All-of-a-Kind Family as soon as she could understand the words.
For great content and networking on the subject of ritual innovation, join us for the JOFA UnConference November 23, 2014. Learn more.
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Body Talk – Our Bodies, Our Sukkah Posters
When we received our JOFA sukkah poster last week, I excitedly showed my daughters, ages five and ten, the poster of women leaders. They looked it over and the following conversation ensued:
Child: "Do you think Uncle ____ and Aunt ___ would want to hang it in their sukkah?" (We are city dwellers who don't have our own sukkah.)
Me: "Sure, why not?"
Child, a bit sheepishly: "Well, Mommy, I don't want to be mean, but the women are a little ugly, don't you think? Couldn't they have made them prettier?"
Me: "I don't think the point was whether they were pretty or not."
Child: "I am not saying Nechama Leibowitz looked like a rock star in real life, but I'm sure she was prettier as a young woman."
Me: "Do you think that we'd be having the same conversation about the Baba Sali or Rav Moshe Feinstein? Are they especially handsome?"
Child: [Rolls eyes] "I knew you were going to say that, but I still think they could be prettier."
And so I thought about it—should the artists have attempted to "airbrush" Nechama Leibowitz?
Why do pictures of older male rabbis look distinguished to most viewers, but pictures of an older Nechama Leibowitz remind us of an elderly grandmother?
This summer the New York Times ran an article about camps that ban "body talk"—among them the Jewish farm camp Eden Village. The article noted that at Eden Village "on Friday afternoon, when the campers, girls and boys from 8 to 17, are dressed in white and especially polished for the Sabbath, they refrain from complimenting one another's appearances. Rather, they say, 'Your soul shines' or 'I feel so happy to be around you' or 'Your smile lights up the world,' … Signs posted on the mirrors in the bathroom read, 'Don't check your appearance, check your soul.'"
While I could see the virtues of checking your soul, rather than your appearance, if I am to be honest with myself, I can't actually imagine parenting (or living) this way. I do tell my kids they look beautiful, and when they remember to brush their hair, I comment on it. I like hearing compliments on my appearance and I want my daughters to hear those compliments too and compliment others, while not being overly focused on their appearance. This, of course, is a very tough balancing act, made all the more difficult if one has a child who loves fashion and notices everyone's clothes (as is the case for my five year old).
One of the great virtues of JOFA commissioning this project is that it allows all of us to see women scholars represented on the walls of our sukkot and schools. While there's certainly some part of me that wishes that my girls didn't ask "why aren't they prettier," I am glad that this sparked the question for them. There is no doubt that children raised as part of a society that thrives on airbrushing will expect conventional beauty from women leaders and scholars, but I hope that we as parents and educators can begin conversations with them that will begin to chip away at some of these notions.
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
When Creativity and Faith Collide
Growing up as the daughter of two teachers, my parents encouraged me to read every kind of book that I was interested in. As a middle schooler I socialized with Charles Dickens, curled up with Jane Austen, ate snacks with the Bronte sisters, decided that I hated every stuffy Victorian who took 150 pages to start a plot, and moved on to their dark Russian cousins, the Tolstoys and Dostoevskys (125 pages to start a plot). One author was off-limits in my house, and his books I had to keep hidden. I kept his books behind the other books on my shelves, binding face-down. This author was Chaim Potok. I actually had no idea why there was a Chaim Potok ban in my house until I started reading his books, and then the CPB (Chaim Potok Ban) made a lot of sense to me. Potok claimed that one could not be Orthodox, or more accurately, one could not fulfill himself creatively and be Orthodox at the same time. And when faced with this decision, one should choose creative fulfillment. Potok made this point in My Name is Asher Lev, Davida's Harp, and pretty much every other book he had written.
I don't blame my parents for this ban at all. Every parent has something, I'm sure, that they want to protect their children from. I want to protect my children from Sholom Auslander, author of Foreskin's Lament, in which he blames his apostasy on the "theological abuse" he suffered as a child at the hands of Orthodox parents and teachers. I pray every day that they should never read one of his books. I know that they will be exposed to anti-religious ideas out there in the real world, but by God, if they are exposed to all those ideas through the tortured, cynical eyes of Sholom Auslander, I will do serious penance. My children will make their own decisions as they get older about what kinds of Jews they want to be, but I don't want them to arrive at that decision through rage and through pain.
I think my parents were right in trying to protect me from the most devastating reality of being an Orthodox Jew: There are simply some people who cannot be both an Orthodox Jew and creatively fulfill themselves. This may not be devastating to you, but it was to me, and my 1994-future-Broadway-star/pianist self.
Every day I go through mind tricks to calm myself down when I worry that I am not fulfilled creatively. I yell at myself in my brain. I remind myself of my healthy children, my healthy husband, my healthy body (bli ayin hara). I remind myself that my life is wonderful. I have friends that laugh with me, and at me (and both are good things). I remind myself that there is a lot of instability in the world, and a lot of uncertainty and pain, and my children are more fortunate than most other children to have been sheltered from this uncertainty and pain. I remind myself that creative fulfillment is a luxury.
I remind myself that I create art when I teach. And when I write. I remind myself that the very act of conducting my life within a controlled, halakhic environment – that is art.
Five or six years ago, I participated in a small conference of Orthodox educators run by Rabbi Aryeh Klapper in Boston. After a panel presentation, a female attendee at the conference raised her hand and began to lament all the difficulties of her life, and how hard it is that she will never be able to fulfill her dream of becoming a rabbi. I nodded in empathy but supplemented her comments with a statement about how I will never fulfill myself musically – and that I was coming to terms with that.
I never wanted to be a rabbi. I wanted to be Gwen Stefani.
All I said was that I was coming to terms with it, not that I already had. I have entered into a Chaim Potok book, but I've chosen the other path — Orthodox Judaism. I will not be a singer, or a pianist (too many gigs on Friday nights and Saturdays). I have chosen a halakhic path. If I had to do it again, I would make the same choice. But I don't want my daughters to have to make this choice. I want (and here my cursor stays for 45 seconds – what do I want?)
I want my children to express their Judaism in a way that completely and totally creatively fulfills them.
I know some readers of this blog will point out to me that many Orthodox women sing or perform in front of men, but I am not looking for halakhic loopholes or possibilities. I'm waiting until they become mainstream. I know, I know, when there is a rabbinic will there is a halakhic way – but I don't want to fashion my Judaism according to my will. Self-control is a form of artistic expression. Or so I tell myself.
So for now, here I am, in Potok's book. I've also decided to let my children read actual Chaim Potok books and hope that my own personal choices stand as a (sometimes painful) alternative. But the benefits and the beauty of living as an Orthodox Jewish woman outweigh the fulfillment that I have skipped out on. Maybe. And who knows, one day I might even let Sholom Auslander's books into my house.
Not anytime soon, though.
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Valentine Cottage ref 20132
House | 2 bedrooms | sleeps 4
|Key Info
Valentine Cottage is a mid-terraced cottage in the heart of the Norfolk market town of Aylsham. The cottage sleeps four people and has two double bedrooms, a family bathroom, a sitting room with a woodburner and a fitted kitchen with a dining area. Outside is a private garden with an external room with a woodburner. Ideal for discovering the beauty of North Norfolk, Valentine Cottage is a superb holiday home all year round.
|Sleeps up to 4, 2 bedrooms
|Will consider
|Short breaks (1-4 days)
|Family friendly
|Suitable for children over 5
|Pets welcome, No smoking at this property
Features and Facilities
|Log fire
|Washing machine
|2 bedrooms, 1 bathrooms of which 1 Family bathrooms
|Double beds (2)
|Private garden, Shared garden
|Further details
Gas central heating with woodburning stove. Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, TV with Freeview, DVD. Fuel, power and starter pack for stove inc. in rent. Bed linen and towels inc. in rent. Roadside parking close to cottage. Enclosed lawned garden with furniture and external building with woodburning stove. Two well-behaved pets welcome. Sorry, no smoking. Shop and pubs 2 mins walk.
The East Anglia region
Picturesque rolling Fens, unspoilt beaches, and pretty waterways – East Anglia is a dream holiday destination. Norfolk offers beaches, saltmarshes and quaint villages whilst equally as charming are the coast and countryside of Suffolk.
Aylsham is a small market town in the heart of Norfolk. It is close to Norwich, the Norfolk coast and the Norfolk Broads.
Availability Your dates are available
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Sykes Cottages (Property Manager Sykes Cottages)
- 6 Years listed
Calendar last updated:18 Nov 2014
Based in United Kingdom
- English
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Covers: Wellborn, Bryan, College Station, Navasota, Brenham.
About: Specializing in residential real estate, I started my real estate career in 2005. As a proud affiliate of Homes for Heroes, we strive to give back to the community through the national program offering discounts to police officers, fire fighters, military, veterans, medical personnel, first respons...
About: Specializing in residential real estate, I started my real estate career in 2005. As a proud affiliate of Homes for Heroes, we strive to give back to the community through the national program offering discounts to police officers, fire fighters, military, veterans, medical personnel, first response, & teachers. Over $235,000 was given back in the Bryan - College Station area through this amazing program from 2008-2013 between us, lenders, and inspectors. It was started after the 9/11 tragedy and aimed at giving back to those who serve, protect, and many times lay their lives on the line for our protection, safety, and freedom. I became a part of the program to honor those who do all of this and more! THANK YOU! We work with a wide range of buyers including first time home buyers, investors, parents looking for a home for their student, or someone looking to upsize or downsize. We specialize in residential real estate, whether new construction, a condo or town home, a single family home, or even multi family homes. We are knowledgeable about programs that help with down payment, closing costs, etc, and we are the areas ONLY agency offering the Homes for Heroes program! Finding out if you qualify for this national program should be your FIRST STEP in the home buying or home selling process! www.HomesForHeroes.com We and also provide a "New Foreclosure" and or "MOTIVATED SELLER" phone call/text message update to those on my list looking for a great deal!See More
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Freedom Realty Of Texas
3800 State Hwy 6 South, Ste 108-C
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"Dawn & her team with Home Search BCS was very easy to work with. They were extremely knowledgeable about the whole process. Since this was our first home, neither of us knew a lot about buying a home and was concerned we would be taken advantage of, but that was not the case at all. In fact, we feel extremely lucky to have found the 'Homes for Heroes' program & would recommend it to anyone that is eligible. We saved money on inspections, and the significant Realtor rebate helped on our closing costs! We are super excited to be home owners & thankful for all the help, discounts, and savings we received through the program! Thanks again Dawn for all your help!" Guy & Amanda M. Bryan FFDawn Thompson"We finally own our home, thanks to Dawn and the Home Search BCS Team! We had such great service from her, and she worked so hard to make our dreams come true. We had several issues with our lender before we changed to our Homes for Heroes lender, Jennifer Ott. She was also amazing. Dawn worked with us through everything & kept us from giving up! Not to mention the savings we received through the Homes for Heroes program. We will be forever grateful for her help and this wonderful program!" Mark & Kimberley D. — 911 DispatchDawn Thompson
Answers (1)Displaying: 1 Most Recent AnswersAnswered: Jan 9, 2012I can't tell what home you are talking about. Please give us more information on the home you are considering. Many time sellers will pay closing costs depending on the offer. Feel free to use the CONTACT ME button to email us directly. Thanks.
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Serial number logging - cable tying mice / keyboards etc to machines? Toner recycling...!
Just been told I've got 2 work experience kidsfor the week that I wasn't aware of... any ideas what I can do with them?
Currently they're checking over a trolley of laptops for issues. I know there are problems with that trolley, so I've got them recording the problem to possibly be looked at during the week.
My next task for them is to unbox new laptops, and I'll image the machines with them...
After that I'm lost. Any ideas? Nothing really on the helpdesk they can do...
Serial number logging - cable tying mice / keyboards etc to machines? Toner recycling...!
I had my lad last week. I got him to:
1) Unbox a PC and image it after showing him how.
2) Do a lot of clicking changing our staff UPN suffixs to our new email domain.
3) Clean all IT Suite PC's and Staff area PC's.
4) Build me a PC from old PC bits.
A load more but a few to get started.
Unfortunately, as I'm fairly new to the school - I've already got up to speed with the above (making a first impression)... any other thoughts?
I'd have waited had I known!
Got 1 my self next week, I started a list for him already and with our 4th techie they can pretty much shadow each other.
1. Random PC room checking (can also use timetables to check when they are free) for mice, keyboards and general servicing.
2. Re-imaging of Toshiba Netbooks, general cleaning and reporting what ones have faults.
3. Re-imaging of PC Suites that are not in use.
4. Projector cleaning on age old equipment.
5. Cable checks in certain classrooms/areas to report how untidy they are.
6. Prep work for the Summer jobs.
@gtg93 I am in the same boat as you, been here for one year and our Asset data is now updated.
In years past I've spend a bit of time teaching them how to add RJ45's to network cables and perform cable testing. Just a shame we haven't run any kind of work experience for the past 2 years, I quite enjoyed it! Slave for a week
I think I posted the last Work Experience Thread asking for ideas... I'll add here what I actually had him doing! He had an interest in programming, something which we do none of!
Day 1: Had a chat about what interests he had then gave him a tour and showed him the server rooms and etc. Then I got him to do a fresh install of Win7 and update drivers, install office, update, put on the domain etc. Later on I got him to research dual boot and he dual booted the PC and install Ubuntu on it and got it up to date.
Day 2: I had dismantled a PC and got him to build it up, identifying the components and their jobs. (also an old server) Later on I got him to research XAMPP and install it.
Day 3: He had his XAMPP up and working so he had a web server and I told him to go on w3 Schools and do some PHP stuff. Later on I told him to research some different Linux OS's then pick one he would like to have a play with. Then he Downloaded & install Virtual Box and installed his chosen OS. That afternoon I took him to one of our sites for a tour and an insight into our set up. Later on he researched IP, DNS, DHCP, RAID etc.
Day 4: Got him to take an image of a PC, restore image etc. Got him to make up a cat5 lead. Took to site to set up a few PCs, monitors etc.
Day 5: I got him to set up a MineCraft (as he had an interest) Server on Ubuntu.
In between I had him looking at Helpdesk calls, Googling various stuff, letting him watch me on AD & Exchange etc.
He was 15, in year 10 I think!!
- Have them do a stock take of your store room(s)
- Put paper in the printers
- Take the RAM of a computer out a little (without them seeing) and then ask them to fix it as a test.
- Clean projectors that are at safe hight.
Thanks all... got a bit of a list going now:
My next task for them is to unbox new laptops, and I'll image the machines with them.
Check IT rooms & replace missing keyboards, mice, keys.
Strip old department laptops for RAM/HDDs/Screens
Repair department laptops with above (under my supervision)
Show them some AD / GP etc...
I've got two kids, one whos interested in IT, and one that seems uncertain which is proving a little difficult. They're both students of the school, so giving them a tour is a bit pointless. Will show them the server room(s) too.
Should fill at least half the week - maybe stretch it out to a week. Then we're a support company so can send them to one of our other schools for a week where it's busier hopefully.
Send them to the caretakers for some Tartan paint. Then to the science department for Fallopian tubes.
Beats the usual "go to music and fetch me a long stand"
Turns out they've actually been a really big help... Server room is spotless, office is spotless(ish), all our new laptops imaged, two trolleys reimaged... Going to update our IT suites tomorrow for things like flash, and get some new software rolled out.
A pile of faulty laptops worked through, found faults, and fixed half up with the other half. TBF, they've actually got some decent experience from it too.
Last edited by gtg93; 9th July 2014 at 04:13 PM.
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Drake – Heat Of The Moment
New Drizzy to bump before the weekend over! No word if this will live on "Views From The 6″ but enjoy it for now.
Childish Gambino comes through, outta nowhere, with his new mixtape STN MTN, the other half of which, KAUAI, is an EP that will be available on iTunes later today.
Click here to download
YG's debut album coming soon!!
B.O.A.T.S. II Out NOW!!!
"Here goes a track from Toronto's rising duo, Majid Jordan, who is recently known for their feature on Drake's newest single "Hold On We're Going Home". The duo is signed to Drizzy's OVO Sound label as well."


text:
Narrow your search
Two gadgets enter the ring, but only one can leave the champion! Each week Brian Tong pits two compe
Even a smartphone running Google's latest mobile operating system now offers multiple user accounts.
The latest generation of Apple TV streaming box is more than two years old, so it's about time for an update. But what improvements should it bring, and what will Apple actually deliver? Here's the prevailing wisdom.
Siri is getting a couple of improvements in iOS 8, but still has a ways to go before it becomes something I would use daily.
Over-the-air DVRs like the TiVo Roamio, Nuvyyo Tablo, and Channel Master DVR+ offer a wide range of options for cord cutters looking to record free TV.
Amazon's newly updated apps for Android and iOS support instant switching between text and narration. Here's how to make that switch.
What does ESPN do when four TV channels aren't enough for the biggest World Cup the US has ever seen? Go digital.
Is having music "on" the same thing as actually listening to it?
Last to arrive to the streaming party, Fire TV has powerful insides, a controller, and the backing of an in-house game studio. But is that enough to set it apart?
The 7 Minute Workout Challenge app for the iPhone creates a balanced workout that's just long enough to make it worth your efforts and just short enough that you might do it regularly.
Which has the most apps? Which has the coolest features? Which one is the best? The four most popular streamers each have their merits, so we'll help you decide which box is right for you.


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FORT MYERS, Fla. Some of the first people to brave the cold temperatures that moved into Southwest Florida overnight were those walking in the early morning hours to the bus stop.
The first bus left from the Rosa Parks Transportation Center in Fort Myers at 5:00 a.m. when temperatures were in the 30s.
Many of the passengers said they added several layers to brave the intense wind as they walked, some for miles, to get to the bus center.
But they also had differing opinions on how chilly the weather was and how to brace for it.
"I did dress in layers. That's the most important thing. There is nothing you can do to prepare. If it happens it happens. Just get the jackets out and a couple of sweaters," said Fort Myers resident Gary Estes.
But Jason Hopkins, who is originally from up North, says the cold weather isn't that bad.
"this isn't even Ohio. I don't even use the heat. I just bundle up to keep warm. That's all I do," he explained.
To find the quickest way to the bus route you need to catch you can utilize the trip planner on www.rideleetran.com to avoid walking in the cold weather for longer than necessary.


text: Prom photo View full-size image < previous next > Is this photo a winner? "Every year my college friends and I get together for our annual Spring Party Weekend celebration in DC. These shirts definitely livened up an otherwise overcast day! " - DC Spring Party Weekend 2012 (May 01, 2012) Share this photo on: Twitter Facebook Pinterest Similar Photos: college friends | dc | event other | friends | fun | rainbow tie dye | reunion | spring party | spring party weekend Feeling inspired? Visit the CustomInk Design Lab to start your own group order. Design Your Own


text:
Queue for concert at the West Side Tennis Club starts hours before show
The front of the line where fans look on as an event staffer demonstrates how to properly play the guitar. The young man he is instructing is a music major and needs to learn to play the instrument for a class.
Fans line up just outside the West Side Tennis Club grounds. Many people brought cards and board games to pass the time, while others brought books and some snacks.
Or, use your linked account:
You know ... I read the articles about people in and around Forest Hills Stadium complain about the traffic .... no parking.... blah blah blah !!!! One purpose for these concerts is to raise enough money to restore this Historic Treasure called Forest Hills Stadium and to have Tennis events yes TENNIS come back to the stadium. A couple of years ago the West Side Tennis Club wanted to tear down the Stadium and build condos but now there is enough momentum to restore this Historic piece of history. But the local yocals need to complain and complain. They don't want to hear anything about restoring history... they just want to go to Starbucks and be left alone ON THEIR NIMBY way !!!!! That's how we lose a piece of History in our great city. But you just go along and sip your latte and watch the stadium crumble away. But don't complain if and when the stadium gets knocked down for some condo that you can't afford and you lose one of the great Treasures of the City of New York !!!!
More than 2,000 people attended the Queens Center Tree Lighting Ceremony at the mall in Elmh…
GingerBread Lane village opens at museum; lights on in Flushing
It's never too early to get in the Christmas spirit and making it easier are the holiday str…
Saluting those who served so we could be free
Patriotism was the order of the day on Sunday as the fifth annual Queens Veterans Day Parade…
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text:
Connected kids
Find out the latest info on creative apps to keep their imaginations firing and how to keep your kids connected in a healthy way. more
Your toddler's behaviour may at times appear wilful, negative and anti-social - between the biting, yelling, lying and cursing you may be left wondering what ever happened to your beautiful little baby! But this type of behaviour is part of her normal emotional and social development.
Toddler fears | Biting | Toddler jealousy | Tantrum taming


text:
Category: Water & Wastewater ×
Subcategory: Chemical Water Treatment ×
Industry: Construction & Construction Materials ×
Location: Australasia ×
Location: Kiribati ×
based in Shijiazhuang, CHINA
Supplier of Barium Sulphate, Barium Carbonate, Barium Chloride Dihydrate, Barium Nitrate, Barium Hydroxide, Barium Metaborate(Beta barium borate), barium titanate, barium oxide, Thiourea, Strontium Salt, strontium oxide, metal barium, strontium, ultra-high purity inorganic chemicals of Barium Salts, Industrial raw stuffing Materials, electrochemical,Chemical Supplier of ...
Albin Pump SAS
based in Mölndal, SWEDEN
The company`s history originates from Albin Verken and is since 1928 an independent company. Albin Pump develops and manufactures sealless pumps that facilitate our customers processes through innovative solutions. The knowledge of development and production of pumps for the industry is built on many years of experience. We take pride in delivering efficient and ...
Sauereisen Inc
based in Pittsburgh, PENNSYLVANIA (USA)
Sauereisen is a third-generation company that has grown into one of the best-known corrosion-resistant material manufacturers in the world. Our product portfolio includes a complete line of organic and inorganic corrosion-resistant materials of construction for new and rehabilitation applications. Sauereisen remains dedicated to solving the problems requiring specialty ...
Advanced Equipment and Services, Inc.
based in Coral Springs, FLORIDA (USA)
Advance Equipment and Services, Inc. AESINC is a global provider of custom skid-mounted water purification equipment such us seawater desalination plants, brackish reverse osmosis units, ultrafiltration, nano filtration and Softeners. We Sale - Resale - Finance - Lease - Operate reverse osmosis systems at the best rates facilitating the system that you need now. Different ...
Grundfos Pumps Corporation
based in Bjerringbro, DENMARK
Grundfos is the world`s largest manufacturer of pumps and pump solutions.
based in Bursa, TURKEY
ERSIN GROUP, founded in 1974 under the name of " Ersin Molding Machine Industry" , has started to its business life with the production of various molds and special products for both public and private organizations. It's continuing to its manufacturing business with high technical knowledge and years of experience. Aquaflex, founded in 2002, is a relatively new Ersin ...
O3 Greentech
based in Surat, INDIA
We are introduce our self as a technology and performance based State of Art Ozone Generator manufacturer, water and waste water treatment solution provider.Ozone widely used in Oxidizing & Anti Microbial agent used in water Treatment, Waste Water Treatment, Sewage Treatment, Swimming Pool, Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Pulp & Paper, Food Processing, Poultry Farm, Hotels & ...
Kemira Water Solutions, Inc.
based in Bartow, FLORIDA (USA)
Kemira is committed to being a leading water chemistry company. Our strengths are high-level application know-how, a comprehensive range of water and wastewater treatment chemicals, and reliable customer deliveries. As a leading global provider of inorganic coagulants and organic flocculants, we offer an extensive portfolio of products that also includes biocides, ...
based in München, GERMANY
Clariant is an internationally active specialty chemical company, based in Muttenz near Basel. The group owns over 100 companies worldwide and employed 21 202 employees at the end of 2012. In the financial year 2012, Clariant produced a turnover of CHF 6 billion. Clariant is divided into seven business units: Additives; Catalysts; Function Minerals, Industrial & Consumer ...
Fluid Dynamics International Ltd
based in Maidenhead, UNITED KINGDOM
Fluid Dynamics is one of the world`s oldest non-chemical water treatment companies, preventing scaling caused by calcium carbonate in hard water. A truly green water treatment method proven to save energy For over 40 years we have supplied our wide range of non-chemical scale prevention products to every sector of industry,commerce and the home that suffers from hard ...
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text: 500 pts Music Trivia <WKDQ Country Club Sonic Boom is the name of a new album by which band? Click here to see the answer. Sign in to Participate Category: Trivia Ends: Sunday October 20 at 10:59PM CDT Visit our sponsor: Click here to see the answer. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter More Leave a comment Send to a friend! Print this page Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr! More Ways To Get and Use Points Redeem Your Newsletter Bonus Code Here!Win A Prize Pack From The Santa Claus Christmas Store$100 Off Your Flooring Purchase [COUPON]Learn More About Benny's Flooring [LINK]Keurig Brewing SystemThanksgiving Gift Card


text:
We are familiar with the clichés surrounding the emergence of Impressionism. The Impressionists are believed to have broken radically with... more
Publishing group VNU recently donated the painting River Landscape (1842) by Willem Roelofs to the Gemeentemuseum. This gift prompted the museum to... more
The first ever presentation of modern glass from the Czech Republic and Slovakia in any Dutch museum. Thanks to the loan of a major private... more
This summer the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag presents a major retrospective of the oeuvre of Haarlem painter Kees Verwey (1900 –1995) superintended by... more
This summer's exhibition in the print room at the Gemeentemuseum will comprise over sixty prints and drawings by Odilon Redon (1840 - 1916), one of... more
This summer, the Gemeentemuseum is giving Dutch artist Toon Verhoef (b. Voorburg, 1946) free run of the Projects Gallery. He will use the space for... more
Ever since the late sixties, when the first Minimal Art exhibition and the first Sol LeWitt retrospective were held in The Hague, the... more
Over the last ten years, the Rabobank has built up an impressive art collection. This exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag will be the first... more
The world-famous artist Vincent van Gogh is often associated with sunflowers and France but in fact his artistic roots lay in The Hague and the... more
Exhibition of work by Austrian artist Siegfried Anzinger (b. 1953, Weyer). Although he is generally regarded as a member of the German Neue Wilden ... more


text:
SQLite 22.214.171.124
A small, fast and reliable SQL database engine available for multiple platforms, including Mac OS X.
SQLite is a library that implements an embedded, zero configuration SQL database engine and does not have a separate server process.
Moreover, SQLite is able to read and write to ordinary disk files directly and provides a complete SQL database solution.
In addition, SQLite in able to put in a single disk file multiple tables, indices, triggers and views.
Moreover, SQLite is able to read and write to ordinary disk files directly and provides a complete SQL database solution.
In addition, SQLite in able to put in a single disk file multiple tables, indices, triggers and views.
Main features:
- Transactions are atomic, consistent, isolated, and durable (ACID) even after system crashes and power failures.
- Zero-configuration - no setup or administration needed.
- Implements most of SQL92. (Features not supported)
- A complete database is stored in a single cross-platform disk file.
- Supports terabyte-sized databases and gigabyte-sized strings and blobs. (See limits.html.)
- Small code footprint: less than 350KiB fully configured or less than 200KiB with optional features omitted.
- Faster than popular client/server database engines for most common operations.
- Simple, easy to use API.
- Written in ANSI-C. TCL bindings included. Bindings for dozens of other languages available separately.
- Well-commented source code with 100% branch test coverage.
- Available as a single ANSI-C source-code file that you can easily drop into another project.
- Self-contained: no external dependencies.
- Sources are in the public domain. Use for any purpose.
- Comes with a standalone command-line interface (CLI) client that can be used to administer SQLite databases.
- last updated on:
- November 26th, 2014, 9:23 GMT
- file size:
- price:
- developed by:
- sqlite.org
- license type:
- Freeware
- operating system(s):
- Mac OS X
- binary format:
- -
- category:
- Home \ Developer Tools
In a hurry? Add it to your Download Basket!
What's New in This Release:
- Enhance the ROLLBACK command so that pending queries are allowed to continue as long as the schema is unchanged. Formerly, a ROLLBACK would cause all pending queries to fail with an SQLITE_ABORT or SQLITE_ABORT_ROLLBACK error. That error is still returned if the ROLLBACK modifies the schema.
- Bug fix: Make sure that NULL results from OP_Column are fully and completely NULL and do not have the MEM_Ephem bit set. Ticket 094d39a4c95ee4.
- Bug fix: The %c format in sqlite3_mprintf() is able to handle precisions greater than 70.
- Bug fix: Do not automatically remove the DISTINCT keyword from a SELECT that forms the right-hand side of an IN operator since it is necessary if the SELECT also contains a LIMIT. Ticket db87229497.
Add your review!


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Label: Break Even Records, Break Even
Bio: Bleed Radio Bleed has been playing its brand of rock informed by elements of punk, psychedelia, and even Latin American music since 2006. The band sounds like what would happen if members of post-hardcore and Bolivian metal bands got together and invited the long time frontman of an indie-pop gro... See Full BioMore Info
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Total Fans 418
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Romance and Bubbles
Romance and Bubbles
Anthony revamps the website at Newport Inn which was in dire need of a makeover.
Mystery Room
Cold-Shoulder Treatment
The Hot Tubs Must Go
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Anthony goes to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, where the ...
More Travel Inspirations
GAC America's Amusement Parks
Buckle up and take a tour of the most thrilling amusement parks in America.
3-Ingredient Apps for Thanksgiving
Try Food.com's quick and easy apps for a stress free turkey day.
Food Network's Top Turkey Day Tips
Plan Your Menu with easy, how-to videos from Bobby, Sunny and more.


text:
Magazine Rating
Bottle $26.84
12 bottle $26.24
Rated 90 - As was the 2003, this is another big time sleeper of the vintage. The dense ruby/purple-tinged 2004 offers a sweet perfume of framboise, black cherry liqueur, cedar, and spice. Supple-textured,...
Bottle $27.94
12 bottle $27.34
Rated 90 - This American-owned estate produces one of the most impressive wines made in Fronsac. Fashioned primarily from Merlot, the saturated ruby/purple-colored 2006 reveals superb sweet kirsch, black...
Bottle $31.64
Rated 91 - An amazing effort in this vintage, La Vieille Cure has been one of the top 3 or 4 Fronsacs in most recent vintages. The 2011 is fashioned from 75% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet...
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2 coupon codes & deals for newlymaid.com. Get that little black dress that is so versatile for any occasion. While you are at it you can upcycle that old bridesmaids dress that you never where anymore for free.
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ScripSmart searches inventory for discounted Walmart Gift Cards from multiple sources throughout the day. Each of these companies operate secondary gift cards markets where consumers sell unwanted gift cards for less than face value.
The Walmart Gift Card is great for: Independence Day, Housewarming, Her Birthday, The Holidays, Birthdays, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Back To School, Fathers Day, Tools, Video Games, Seniors, Toys, Jewelry, Get Well Wishes, Popular, The Home, Appliances, College Students
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text:
We return to Ananias apartments because we love St George South and because we get a great deal on accommodation at Ananias it means we have more spending money. The accommodation is basic but so is a lot of accommodation in the Greek islands but it is very clean. The towels are changed every day and the sheets are changed... More
- Also Known As:
- Ananias Studios & Apartments Hotel Corfu
- Ananias Studios And Apartments


text:
the service is good and the food is ok but I have been to many other IHOP restaurants and I felt the quality of the food was not as good as other IHOP restaurants I have been to.
One of the really disappointing experiences in this chain. Food was mediocre, to say the least. Never again. Also, after filling out an online questionnaire I was entitled to a complimentary order of pancakes when I returned the receipt with the proper code. I was rudely informed that I could not take the order out, even though there was no...
Visited this restaurant for a quick breakfast before leaving the sea-tac area. Waitress was ok. Food was decent nothing too over the top , but the hash browns were mushy and flavorless. I enjoy breakfast and it's my favorite meal, but I left needing more. I would probably go to a Denny's before coming back.
Went for a early morning breakfast , needed close , fast , predictable .
Got all 3 . Food same as Denny's , below Sherri's , could really use a menu update to make something different . Decent food , you know what it will be , no surprises .
Really good friendly service .
We don't particularly like I hop and try to avoid it, but we were picked up by relatives and they brought us here for breakfast before we went to downtown Seattle for the day. This was a typical Ihop experience. Food ok. Prices a little high for what you get and just ok service.
the IHOP is right in the same parking lot as our hotel (Sleep Inn)and the breakfast room was jammed so we dodged the raindrops to run over to the IHOP and enjoy the 55+ menu. Which is pretty much the same as the regular menu except you get one less pancake and the price is more gentle.
This IHOP is a four minute walk from America's Best Value Inn. The hotel's complimentary breakfast was all carbs and sugar so it was handy to have real food nearby.
I was pleased that the hotel was right on the premises of the IHOP. The food was great even though it was almost 1:00am in the morning. The waiters was pleasant and friendly.
Good breakfast food. Just what I expected from an IHOP in any other city. Conveniently located to my hotel.
Very friendly & efficient staff here. We were there late at night, and told them how tired we were, and they really put a rush on our food. "Thanks" to them.
Register now for free — and start getting automatic notification of new reviews, responding to traveler feedback, adding new photos to your listing and much more.


text:
125 Gallon Fish Tank & Stand with alot of storage room.
Has tops and lighted hood. We had this set up and running for 5 years, until 3 weeks ago.
There's everyting you'll need for a salt, or fresh water set up, plants, pumps, filters, heaters, UV Sterilizer, Protein ...
Nov 22 -
Springfield (MO) :
Lebanon - Accessories
comes with to much to list 4 Oscars 1 clown knife 2 eclips catfish and 5 silver dollars will consider trades but cash is king text for pictures 573-286-3592
Nov 18 -
Springfield (MO) :
Camdenton - Other pets
125 Gallon salt water fish tank. Does come with fish, not guaranteed in transport to your house so I am not adding them into the total. They are healthy. 75 pounds of live rock, 2 bags of salt water sand. Comes with 2 pumps,2 light bars, heater, skimmer, temperature gauge ...
Nov 15 -
Des Moines :
Omaha - Accessories
We have lots of tanks full of Tetras, Barbs, Mollies, Platys, Guppys,Guarami, sharks and much more ..We never have any ICK!!!! We can help you with info and we have supplies and several Tanks check with us on prices before you spend to much.
Nov 11 -
Topeka :
Abilene - Other pets
We are selling all of our saltwater stuff. We just dont have as much time for it as we did before. If you have any questions you can text 6417994467 or call/test 6417994476. You can also email [email removed]
We have a 180 gallon tank setup that comes with stand, sump, pump ...
Oct 21 -
Southeast Iowa :
Ottumwa - Other pets
30 Gallon Aquarium comes with Stand
Fish out grew its tank.
call 417-315-2189
Oct 1 -
Springfield (MO) :
Rogersville - Accessories
We'll be sending text message alerts for your subscription to


text:
- Watch NowMarch Madness Moments
Latest Headlines
- UofL tops Cleveland St. in Pitino's 700th win
- Hield posts 24 as OU upsets No. 22 UCLA
- Butler takes down No. 5 North Carolina
- Gophers' McNeil suspended after arrest
- Arizona survives Kansas State in Maui
- Maryland upends No. 13 Iowa State
- Villanova edges Michigan in nail-biter
- Texas' Taylor out with broken wrist


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Narrow your search
This detailed video from a 3D graphics developer shows how immersive virtual worlds should work with head-mounted displays, using a Doom 3 level and a Portal gun.
Sony's daft new HMZ-T3W might look like something from a '90s virtual-reality movie -- but wearing it is like watching a 750-inch TV.
Pricing not available
Google Glass glasses aren't the only iGlasses.
Sunglasses seem so old school compared to a new tech-infused head-mounted display by Epson.
Judging from a quick hands-on look, Sony's HMZ-T1 head-mounted 3D OLED display is one of the best of the breed.
If the price is right, this new headpiece from Sony could really mix up the TV market.
As the battle for virtual reality heats up, Google -- along with other well-known firms -- makes a big bet on a little-known wearable headset maker called Magic Leap.
Navdy announces preorders for its aftermarket head-up display, which puts turn-by-turn directions, messaging, and audio information in a driver's view.
The sportswear giant has a new no-frills activity tracker more practical than it is powerful. The goal is to succeed not on the merits of what it can do, but on the clarity of what it's not.
In court filing, Oculus says ZeniMax "suddenly began asserting supposed ownership rights" over VR technology only after Facebook announced $2B Oculus buyout.


text:
Ms. Cindy Truong
Dermatology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group
- 10725 International Dr
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
- 1 Office Location
- (916) 631-2400
Ms. Cindy Truong is a practicing physician. Ms. Truong practices medicine in Rancho Cordova, CA and specializes in Dermatology. Ms. Truong is affiliated with Kaiser Permanente Medical Center - Roseville. Ms. Truong speaks English and Spanish.
Gender: Not Available
Years in Practice: Not Available
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Medical School: Not Available
Graduation Date: Not Available
Hospital Affiliations: Kaiser Permanente Medical Center - Roseville
Specialties: Dermatology


text:
Select () or exclude () categories to narrow your recipe search.
As you select categories, the number of matching recipes will update.
Find exactly what you're looking for with the web's most powerful recipe filtering tool.
1/1 Photo of Ww Taco Soup (Weight Watchers)
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
10 mins
15 mins
This is a slightly different version of Taco Soup for Weight Watchers. It has no meat so it is actually a vegetable soup. We served it for my mother in law and paired it with a salad and some rolls for the rest of the family. It was yummy. One caution it is spicy for some so if you don't like it spicy get the corn without the chilies. We used Lawry's taco seasoning and Hidden Valley Ranch ranch packet for the best flavor. We have no ties to them but love their products for this. It is warm and makes a lot of soup. We served 4 adults and two kids. Got this on a internet site awhile back. It is yummy but remember to JUDGE IT AS A WEIGHT WATCHER recipe because if you went hog wild with ingredients with more fat and calories it could be even better. Enjoy ChefDLH. (Serving size is 1 cup. 2 WW points per serving.)
Serves: 4-5
Units: US | Metric
Serving Size: 1 (449 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 4
The following items or measurements are not included:
low-fat refried beans
ranch dressing mix
Every recipe, menu, tip and how-to is right here, at your service.