Gmail Saves Stolen Car

Hat tip: Josh

Cool story at ZDNet, involving a good friend of a friend:

The gentleman in the picture is Avrohom Eliezer Friedman, a reader with whom I frequently correspond over on my ZDNet Education blog. He looks happy in this picture, but Tuesday morning, he was not happy. His car had been stolen and, as he said, “the car wasn’t worth much - but the plate is priceless.”
I’m inclined to agree. That’s commitment, right there.
Long story short, though, Gmail managed to save the day for Avrohom.

[I] spoke to the arresting officer - he said he saw the plate and decided to run it (I guess he wanted to see who the proud owner of a GMAIL plate was). Seeing it was stolen, he pulled the car over.
Not as good as “everyone was on the lookout for the GMAIL car. I am proud to be the officer who found it.” But it’s still good stuff.

Good stuff, indeed, Avrohom. Glad you got your license plate back (and, of course, your car).

Honesty and The Jewish Community VI: Cinco de Mayo

(continued as part of this series)

One year ago today, I was flying to Israel for the wedding of my best friend basically from birth, Shragi. (Shragi writes the Well Waddaya Know... series on SerandEz.) Though we were tight on money at the time, I had miles saved up from when I was a kid, and Kayla was still under two years old, so our tickets were about $300 total. Work had become a bit nerve-wracking as our CEO was acting increasingly odd, and each week's payroll was becoming a nightmare of waiting - often a week or two past when it was supposed to be paid. But the last couple weeks since we'd finished our annual audit had been calmer, the CEO was saying he'd been able to raise some more funding once we filed our financials and that it was coming in, so I decided it was a good time for a short break. Throw in that this was Shragi's wedding, and I felt I had to go. My trip was for 6 days, so it was going to be a bit crazy (we have a ton of relatives in Israel), but it'd be fun, too.

Shortly after landing on a bright sunny morning, I had an annoying situation with my rental car. Suddenly the rental agency wanted to put a $900 hold on my rental, even though the cost was about $200 for the week. I couldn't do that, and was pissed that they sprung this on me on the spot with a crying baby when they'd said I was done when I booked it originally, so I followed my cousin's (who was ironically flying to the US that evening) advice and rented from another agency. Once this was done, I headed to my sister- and brother-in-law in Ramat Beit Shemesh to drop off my stuff before heading to the Old City.

I spent a couple hours in RBS before calling up our amazing friend Rivka T., who was available to come hang out with me in Jerusalem. I drove on Kvish Achad (Highway 1), loving the familiar and quickly transforming sites as I drove up and down through the hills on the way into the city. I picked Rivka up from around Sha'arei Tzedek hospital, and we began navigating our way through the heavy Jerusalem traffic to the Old City, on the way to visiting the Western Wall. The Israeli GPS was alternately great or horrible, but we were getting close when my phone rang - and not my Israeli rental, but my US Blackberry, which was only supposed to be used for emergencies.

It was 2:30 or so in Israel, and about 7:30am in New York City, so I was surprised to see it was the COO from work. I picked up, said hello, and he asked if I was sitting down. I asked if driving a car counts, so he told me to pull off to the side for a minute.

(deep breath) [Our CEO] was arrested this morning. The FBI came to his house at 5am, banged on the door, came in, and took him in front of his wife and kids. I have no clue what's going on, but I figured I'd let you know what I knew. I'll talk to you as soon as I found out more.

(to be continued)

Honesty and The Jewish Community V: Well Intentioned

(continued as part of this series)

A friend sent over a video a few minutes ago, asking what I thought about it. The video is of two children at the seder, with them looking over to their father's empty seat while they say the Mah Nishtana. Where is their father? Well, an image of him standing by his chair appears, wearing the orange jumpsuit of convicted criminals. He speaks to the camera, saying "No matter if I was right - or wrong - I will make peace with my situation. (pause) But I cannot speak for them, my children." The information for a charity then comes up, detailing its services, which include basic charity work such as food and babysitting, but also includes visitation to the incarcerated and Jewish resources for prisoners.

A few people have already defended the video, saying that we must separate the children from the parent in terms of how they are viewed: They are children who are essentially orphans, and need our help, and that to not support them would be "punishing them for their parents' sins".

I find the video appalling. To separate out convicted criminals as a class of people who deserve our assistance is mind-boggling to me. I see no reason at all why there should be added sympathy for someone who has committed a crime, and I strongly feel that the knowledge of the existence of such a safety net that is specific to criminals will only placate the concerns of those who are considering committing crimes, allowing them to feel safe in the knowledge that should they be unsuccessful in or caught committing criminal activity that there is an organization to take care of their children. There is absolutely no reason to separate these families from other families who need assistance, and there are certainly better ways to allocate our charitable donations than to make up for the activities of criminals.

This well-intentioned approach to Jewish criminals is not exclusive to this charity; it strikes as a familiar mantra whenever criminal acts are committed by members of the community. The varied comments one hears when someone commits a crime are almost always dedicated to judging the criminal favorably, or even mitigating if not denying the impact of the criminal acts that were committed:

• "But he's so nice - he gave so much charity, he helped so many people out."
• "He created jobs for people, including people who were unemployed."
• "He's not the first nor will he be the last... sometimes these things happen/Come on, everyone does it."
• "Was anyone really hurt by what she did? She helped so many people through what she did. Those people/companies/governments won't miss a penny, they'd have just wasted it anyway."
• "They probably felt pressure to succeed from their families and the success they saw their neighbors having."
• "Living in the frum world is really, really expensive - sometimes the only way to 'make it' is to try something a little more... questionable."
• "It's muttar to take from the government/their rules are ridiculous anyway/he didn't really do exactly what they said he did."
• "That's just the way it is."

Some of these are worse than others, but the general theme is clear. People have well-intentioned approaches to how they view those who have committed criminal activity, often for very different reasons.

On top of these well-intentioned approaches, we have the rare individuals or groups who try to expose problems in the community, but almost never seem to manage to do so appropriately. Even when the intentions are positive, so often the methods cross all lines of human decency or harassment and worse, honesty. These methods only end up backfiring, allowing people to twist stories into discussions about the accuser(s) and/or their methods rather than the issues at hand, and the backlash they face discourages those who may be open to help solving the issues that plague our community, and they retreat for fear of the consequences they may face.

It is not enough for us as a community to be honest ourselves - though if we all did so, it would be an excellent start. While we must be sure not to allow our positive intentions in one way to let ourselves get carried away and act inappropriately, we should also not allow our other positive intentions to judge people favorably to mask the disgust we must feel at those who are dishonest and commit crimes, both within the community and outside of it. We should never be acting in a way which even implies a defense of those who commit dishonest acts - it is not just insensitive to those who have been hurt, but it's just plain wrong.

(to be continued)

Update on Rabbis and Money Laundering Scam

This scandal, involving Rabbonim, especially among the Syrian community in Deal, NJ and Brooklyn, money laundering, and bribing political figures, including mayors from New Jersey, is just horrible. As Rea emailed me:

Gotta love when people hold “yea, it’s muttar to steal from goyim”. What idiots.

It's not even just money laundering, either:

... was accused of enticing vulnerable people to give up a kidney for $10,000 and then selling the organ for $160,000.

Sick. The FBI has made 30 arrests so far, pictures are on NJ.com (via Tzvee), and it's just sad - and so, so wrong. Idiots.

Another update, via VIN - look how shtark they were, learning so much Gemora:

On or about February 5, 2009, the CW received an
interstate telephone call in New Jersey from defendant FISH in
New York, during which defendant FISH and the CW discussed
“gemoras”--a code word used by defendant FISH to refer to cash.
Defendant FISH was informed by the CW that “I have some . . .
gemoras or whatever, you know.” The CW further told defendant
FISH that the CW had “[m]aybe 25 or something,” a reference to
$25,000 in cash. Defendant FISH replied “[i]s that all? That’s
all?” In response, the CW stated “[y]eah, I think. Maybe, uh,
more. But so far that’s what I have.” The CW then asked
defendant FISH “get me the, you know, the name for the gemora,
and then I’ll take care of it.” Defendant FISH then asked “when
do you want to learn,” a coded reference to when the money
laundering transaction would occur. The CW replied “Tuesday’s
fine.” At the conclusion of the conversation, the CW asked
defendant FISH to “[l]et me know-–Sunday, Monday, the name of the
gemora,” in order to find out to what organization or individual
the CW should make out the $25,000 bank check. Defendant FISH
agreed to let the CW know.

Nice. Ugh.

Rabbis, Mayors Arrested in Money Laundering Scam

UPDATES HERE

What a chillul Hashem, and so wrong - FBI arrests dozens in corruption scandal:

The mayors of two major New Jersey cities and an assemblyman are under arrest Thursday as part of a major corruption and international money laundering conspiracy probe.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says approximately 30 arrests have occurred in the two-track investigation.

They include Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt, Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III and Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell.

The federal prosecutor says arrests that are part of the money-laundering investigation include several rabbis in New York and New Jersey.

Why can't people learn to just do things right. Dishonesty/thievery among Rabbonim? What a great example they're setting.

EZ Reads 7/16/09: Religious Security

Some really good posts today...

• Erachet tackles Honestly Frum's rant (mentioned yesterday) on Modern Orthodoxy by discussing Religious Security. Excerpt:

  It is a call for you to start wondering where you fall. And not to look at other people so much. Just because someone seems to be of a different camp does not mean that person is any more or less frum than you, and therefore you have no business judging anyone but yourself. If you work on your own religious observance, you will feel more religiously secure. And the more religiously secure you feel, the less you'll care about anyone "looking down" on you or "trying to change you." You'll just laugh at that because you'll have a feeling of shleimus that cannot be breached. Not by something so silly as someone else being too judgmental of you.

• Great analogy by Treppenwitz in weighing the question of who is responsible when someone gets hurt in a "dangerous area".
  
• Interesting post by R' Gil on papal infallibility and Da'as Torah.

  When did papal infallibility become a binding dogma? While it had been discussed and invoked for centuries, it became official Catholic dogma in 1870. Similarly, while ideas similar to Da'as Torah had been discussed prior, the main establishment of Da'as Torah as a binding dogma -- at least in those groups that accept it -- was in the mid- to late nineteenth century.

• RafiG points out the homepage of the 18th Maccabiah Games.
• Mark Frankel with a very good introduction to learning Gemara at BeyondBT.
• Seen in a few places, links to this piece about a Madoff victim who is giving $5 million to cover the employees' 401(k)s. What a kiddush Hashem.
• Cool ad for HP (and it didn't even win!).
• Mayam Bialik (Blossom) asks Jew in the City about how Orthodox women are regarded. Interesting.
• Trailer for No Impact Man on A Negative Benefit, about a guy who has his family have absolutely no carbon footprint for a year. Strange but cute and funny, sort of. Definitely thought-provoking.
• On a similar note (via Freakonomics), you can sell (or give) your old cells to CycledCells, which either reuses parts or gives away phones to people in third world countries.
  

Enjoy!

Well Waddaya Know XXV

Last week's question and answer:

In a session of group drumming done with sufferers of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) what is done to give them a sense of security?

A. the playing was done in the order the participants were seated	0 (0%)
B. a regular beat was maintained	5 (19%)
C. A and B	11 (42%)
D. the tempo started out slow and was gradually increased	10 (38%)

Votes so far: 26

This week's question is up to the right.

Well Waddaya Know XXIV

Last week's question and answer:

Question: Russian immigrants to Israel who use drugs tend to prefer this kind of music:

rap, heavy metal	5 (13%)
house, rave, techno	12 (31%)
trance	13 (34%)
soft rock	3 (7%)
blues	5 (13%)

Votes so far: 38

The Russian immigrants will prefer rap and heavy metal. Drug users in their early 20s will prefer rave, techno, and house regardless of their ethnic origins. Mediterranean music is preferred by drug users who are native born Israelis but whose parents came from Arab countries (Yemen, Iraq, Morocco) (Sefardim). The latter addicts most connect to the sub-genre
nicknamed "crying songs". These are songs whose lyrics and music evoke feelings of melancholy and despair. Ofer Levi's song The Road of Temptation is a good example of this category.

(*based on Tsvia Horesh's article: "Dangerous Music - Working with the Destructive and Healing Powers of Popular Music in the Treatment of Substance Abusers" in the journal Music Therapy Today June 2003)

This week's question is up to the left.

Well Waddaya Know XXII

Last week's question and answer:

ccording to Michel Foucault (20th century French philosopher, historian, and sociologist) what was the main difference between punishment pre late 18th century and post late 18th century?

Punishments became lighter	3 (8%)
Punishments became harsher	2 (5%)
There was more equality in the punishing of the different classes	7 (18%)
Punishments became less public	25 (67%)

Votes so far: 37

Unsurprisingly, last time the question was asked (since it was a repeat as a few people noted - mistake on our part) a much smaller percentage got it right - 38%.

This week's question is up to the left.

PSA: Women/Girls in Queens, Be Careful

The police in Queens are apparently concerned about a series of attacks recently on random girls and women. A little while ago on our block in Kew Gardens Hills, a 13-year old girl was walking down the block when a car stopped, a man got out, and started hitting her over the head with something, trying to grab her and hurting her. The girl did not know the man, who, after she kept screaming very loudly, drove off.

I heard brief screaming from our apartment, and when I glanced outside a few seconds later, couldn't really see anything except what looked to be a young girl at the edge of where I could see, holding her head, kind of walking out of my vision range. A neighbor a few doors down apparently saw the entire thing out her front window, immediately calling the cops and ambulances (I saw the ambulances a little while later when I heard them leaving). She isn't sure what the man was hitting the girl with (possibly a gun, unclear), but the girl was bleeding from her head and was knocked to the ground and hit.

The police told the neighbor that people should stay inside, keep their shades down, etc. They think this incident might be connected to other recent attacks in Queens. Please be careful when going outside and take any necessary precautions.

Well Waddaya Know XXI

...is now up at the top left. Enjoy!

The rest of the series is here.

Well Waddaya Know XIX

Last week's Q&A:

There are about 23,000 prisoners in Israel - 14,000 criminal and 9,000 security. How many of the criminal prisoners are women?

200	5 (15%)
1000	8 (24%)
2200	11 (33%)
5100	9 (27%)

There are about 225 female criminal prisoners in Israel with all residing in Neve Tirtzah in Ramle. It is the one womens' prison in Israel and is named for Tzlafchad's daughter Tirtzah.

This week's question - in Shragi's words, a math one in my honor (and to change things up), is up to the left.

Well Waddaya Know XVIII

Last week's Q&A:

How many prisoners are currently in the Israeli prison system? Approximately:

15,000	3 (10%)
23,000	6 (20%)
32,000	8 (27%)
45,000	12 (41%)

Votes so far: 29

There are about 23,000 prisoners in Israel - 14,000 criminal and 9,000 security.

This week's question is up to the left.

Well Waddaya Know XIV

Last week's question and answer:

What is mysophobia?

Fear of dark	2 (5%)
Fear of rodents	4 (10%)
Fear of germs	14 (36%)
Fear of the unknown	18 (47%)
Fear of heights	0 (0%)

mysophobia = fear of germ contamination
acrophobia = fear of heights
nyctophobia = fear of the dark
zoophobia = fear of animals or a specific animal
claustrophobia = fear of closed spaces

I think most people suffer from fear of the unknown, personally... though some revel in it.

This week's question is up to the left as usual!

Well Waddaya Know XIII

Last week's question and answer:

According to Michel Foucault (french philosopher) the main difference between punishment till the 18th century and from then on is:

Pre-18th century punishments were harsher	3 (11%)
Pre-18th century punishments were more public	10 (38%)
Pre-18th century judges didn't take mitigating circumstances into account	11 (42%)
The use of capital punishment dropped significantly after the 18th century	2 (7%)

Foucault said that punishments until the end of the 18th century were public (public hangings, walking around with signs, stocks) where as today's punishments (death penalty, jail, fines) are not seen by the public. Once upon a time the king was seen as having god given power and few would think to challenge him. The public punishments were a very in-your-face way of deterring people from rebelling against the king's authority. The French revolution (1789) was very instrumental in changing things. Secular ideas started slipping in. People demanded equality. And the king was seen as more of an equal and someone who was empowered by the people. The elite still wanted to rule over the lower class, but had to be more subtle so as to avoid an uprising. Laws and punishments are there to keep people in line with what the ruling class wants. Laws define who and what is acceptable and the punishments are there to normalize the people who would otherwise not toe the line.

As always, this week's is up to the left. Enjoy!

Well Waddaya Know XII

Last week's question and answer:

Which part of the brain is not involved in speech?

Parietal Lobe	9 (32%)
Temporal Lobe	5 (17%)
Frontal Lobe	4 (14%)
Occipital Lobe	17 (60%)

Votes so far: 28

The answer is the occipital lobe. Broca's area, found in the frontal lobe, is responsible for the motor skills involved in speech. Wernicke's area found in the temporal lobe, is respomsible for assigning meaning to words. In the parietal lobe is an area which is responsible for grammar.

This week's question is up to the left. Enjoy!

NYPost Ignores Gag Order

Jameel has the details, but in sum, the NY Post is ignoring the Israeli gag order regarding the latest scandal involving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and has published names and details. Obviously this is just another in a long line, but perhaps this will finally be the end of Olmert's time as Prime Minister. Excerpt:

NY Post: May 6, 2008 -- A Long Island mogul is at the center of a sensational bribery scandal that could bring down embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, The Post has learned.

Millionaire financier Morris Talansky - who runs an investment firm out of his tony home in Woodmere - allegedly passed money to Olmert while the politician was mayor of Jerusalem in the '90s, sources said.

In a highly unusual move, Israeli authorities have barred the country's media from publishing Talansky's name - revealed now in The Post - saying it could hamper their investigation. Israeli media has referred only to the involvement of an "American businessman."

Well Waddaya Know VII

Last week's question and answer:

Which Israeli city has a Freud Street?

And the winner is...

Haifa	17 (40%)
Netanya	6 (14%)
Tel Aviv	14 (33%)
Jerusalem	5 (11%)
Be'er Sheva	2 (4%)

This week is going to be a little different, with the question up for discussion more than trivia:

What do you think of the idea to privatize the jails?