You Will Want to Open This Box

Ever since I collected Topps Baseball calls, I have been interested in categorization. It was always fun to sort my cards by team or by position or by league. coming up with the most efficient way to organize all the info was the goal. And of course, it was pretty dependent on the goal - did I want to focus on pitching or on outfielders, east coast or west coast, and so on and on and on... As I have gotten older, I've learned more about attributes and configurations as a means for organizing data. The along comes Pandora. The Music Genome Project organizes songs by numerous attributes (one of my favorites ; subtle use of vocal harmony). all you do is set up a station based on a song or artist you like then they pick similar songs that match those attributes. They then mix it up and you let them know what you like and don't like - not what attribute but the overall effect. Over time, as you repeatly give negative marks to certian songs, Pandora notes that maybe those songs all had, say, major key tonality, and they stop playing songs with that attribute. There are hundreds of these attributes and what you get, over time, is the perfect music mix, commercial free. And oh yeah, when you hear something you like, they give you a link to purchase it somewhere. Nice.

Bungee for Babies

There are many good eNewsletters of there for folks interested in usability. One of my favorites is Good Experience from Mark Hurst. He tends to approach issues in a no nonsense way and makes practical, pragmatic recomendations. I spend a lot of time surfing and interacting online and sometimes I just want to unwind. Mark has posted a page of free online games that he deems as Good Experiences. I agree with him on most. A recent favorite is Double Wires . Check it out.

High and Dry

So much rain over the weekend and then seeing all the flooding in Reading and Pottstown not to mention Washington. Checked in on my Dad and he wasn't concerned but on Tuesday night they were calling for a crest in the 'burg of 25 feet. Come on down, he said. By Wednesday morning it appeared to be only a 20.5' crest early Friday morning but he still gets water in the basement at 20'. doesn't mater if it is one foot or one inch, the stuff in the basement has got to be moved. So with Big J, I traveled last night and picked up some cinder blocks to raise the poor little sofa in the basement off the floor. We also took up some boxes and bags and I even got a real neat set of blue dishes. But the best find the experience had to be the link to the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. BTW - it crested today at 19.6' - blessings in disguise.

Going Blogstal

I've thought about posting info / complaints / rants about my workplace but I don't think it will serve any real purpose and frankly there is no need to show the dirty laundry in a public forum like this. But I really respect those who do, not only for their courage but for the juicy tidbits they share and the feeling of being an insider you get. Microsoft is a prime example of an organization dedicated to the art of the spin. They are almost as remarkable as the current White House. There an interesting dialogue going on with two blogs. Here and Here . One anonymouse spilling all and the other not so anonymouse but trying to work within the boundries. Both are succeeding.

Anonymouse

Every so often, I click on a link and it gets blocked by my company's network. It's never porn or nudity or even salacious humor but it probably has been identified somewhere by someone for some reason. But now, I, and you, can beat the system. Check out Anonymouse.org

Before OJ, there was JO

In 2006, when you are a Dad with two daughters aged 12 and 9, you are given the honor and privledge of experiencing being a teeny bopper. Or shall I say tweeny hopper? I am of course speaking of that bastion of music insipidness - American Idol. But my girls love it and they are getting a taste of pop music that I could never be allowed to share with them. Everyone has their own embararessing musical mistake. For me, that was Jimmy Osmond singing "Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear" from his 1972 hit album "Killer Joe" . Come on, what was yours?

Fried Kidney

March came in like a sledgehammer and went out like an ambient soundtrack. Having just gotten through my mother passing away, I found out two weeks later that I had a tumor on my right kidney. It was large enough to require a complete removal of the kidney. I had an Irish Doctor on St Patrick's Day perform a Lacroscopic Naphrectomy at Bryn Mawr Hospital. The nurses and staff there were the best. I came home Sunday night with a bottle of Oxycodone to guide me. The first week was a wash and by the second, I had weaned myself off the painkillers. But I still cannot do what I want. The path to recovery is like two steps forward and one step back.

Reading is FUN-the-mental

Remembering II

So many of you who know me have heard me raving about my mom these past few weeks. I could post something about this whole process and might at a later date but let's just say I'll have to change the names of the players to protect the innocent.

Instead, here is a post on Textual Annoyances from one of my favorite sites - Mark Hurst's This Is Broken, that I think my mom would have really enjoyed (and a shout out to the memory of my Aunt Jane on this one as well).

REMEMBERING JYL

Joan Yaverbaum Leopold 1941-2006

Saturday, February 11, 2006 BY LES POWELLOf The Patriot-News

"Active" is far too weak a word to describe Joan Leopold. Leopold, 65, who died Feb. 3 at her Susquehanna Twp. home, taught geography at The Rabbi David L. Silver Yeshiva Academy in Harrisburg, where she attended first through sixth grade (her father, Irving Yaverbaum, was a founder of the school). She became the president of its parent-teacher organization and its board of directors and the chairwoman of the education committee.

"She was my mentor," said Yeshiva Academy resource teacher Cheryl Sinoway, who has been a board member, PTO co-president and education committee member.

"I saw how wise she was, what a professional she was," Sinoway said. "She knew how to accomplish her goals in a quiet, compassionate way. She was a good listener. I tried to emulate that. She had a very, very deep love for the school. I often think of her when I have to make a decision.

"She was a big part of the community, an integral part," Sinoway said. "When you have somebody so good, so decent and caring, it's difficult to lose somebody like that."
For nearly 30 years, Leopold was the director of patient education at Harrisburg State Hospital and a founder and chairwoman of its 12-member historical committee.

"It's a great loss," state Public Welfare Secretary Estelle B. Richman said of Leopold's death. "She did a great job of sustaining [the hospital's] archives."

The hospital, which officially closed in January, has retained about 50 patients pending completion of permanent homes in the community.

Leopold was instrumental in establishing the Dorothea Dix Museum on the hospital grounds. Working on behalf of the mentally ill made Dix (1802-1887) world-famous.
The museum houses such artifacts as the original 1851-83 patient admissions book, as well as a stereopticon. "I liken it to a slide projector," Leopold once said. "We have 5,000 hand-painted glass slides of famous people, faraway places, birds and animals."

A Dauphin County Library System board member until last year, Leopold "was a tireless advocate for literacy," said Karen Cullings, the library system's community relations director. "She always had her finger on the pulse of what the community needed, what the library users needed. She led by example, with a great deal of confidence and compassion."

She was a member of the Mayor's Commission on Literacy. Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed said she was a charter member who "served with strong leadership skill."

"Literacy was clearly her passion," Reed said. "She helped foster a variety of programs" for children and adults, helping them improve their potential for success in life. "She leaves a caring and humanistic legacy," he said. "She will be sorely missed."

For the last 25 years, Leopold was the executive director of the Pennsylvania Association for Adult and Continuing Education. She was a former PAACE president and received its Outstanding Adult Educator Award.

Those achievements notwithstanding, the mother of five and grandmother of 12 will likely be best-remembered as "Grandma." For the last five years, her entire family gathered in August for a weekend. After that, her seven oldest grandchildren stayed for a week of "Grandma Camp" -- amusement parks, swimming, museums, shows and factory tours.

Active in religious life, Leopold was a life member of the National Council of Jewish Women and, until illness made it impossible, a daily attendee at Beth El Temple's morning minyan, a service requiring a minimum attendance of 10.

Leopold "exemplified dignity and knowledge," Rabbi Eric Cytryn said. "What I focused on in the funeral eulogy was her wisdom." He said she considered it critical that "children had a good, intensive start in their education."

"She was very funny, had a great sense of humor," the rabbi said. "She couldn't stop talking about her husband [Marx S. "Sandy" Leopold], her children and grandchildren." Once, he recalled, her twin sons "brought their mother and father to a Grateful Dead concert," after which "she welcomed three dozen of [her sons'] friends into their home, and Joanie fed them all. She was incredibly generous."

"She was an exceptional baker," he said. "She was well-known for her coffee cakes, chocolate cakes and breakfast rolls."

Last April, the local Jewish community honored Leopold as a Community Mitzvah Hero ("mitzvah" is Hebrew for "commandment").

"She can't be replaced," Cytryn said. "Joanie exemplified ... loving kindness. She was a great leader and role model."

LES POWELL: 255-8154
http://www.pennlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/113965329929520.xml?pennnews&coll=1&thispage=2

After a two year battle with cancer, my mother, Joan Yaverbaum Leopold, passed away Friday morning. I was blessed to be with her on Thursday and to have grown up in her long shadow. Here is her obituary:

Joan Y. LeopoldJoan Y. Leopold, 65, of Harrisburg, died early Friday morning in her home in Susquehanna Township. She was the daughter of Irving and Esther (Landis) Yaverbaum. Joan is survived by her husband, Marx S. (Sandy) Leopold; five children and twelve grandchildren. The children are, Ann Leopold Kaplan (Larry) of North Bethesda, Maryland, Matthew Leopold (Cathy) of West Chester, Pennsylvania, John Leopold (Teresa) of Santa Cruz, California, David Leopold (Laura) of Bedminster, Pennsylvania, and Debbie Leopold Stern (Jonathan) of Paoli, Pennsylvania. She leaves sisters, Judy Goldberg of Harrisburg and Jeri Greenberg of Washington, D.C. Another sister, Jane Batt, predeceased her.

Joanie was a graduate of William Penn High School and Dickinson College. She taught at the David L. Silver Yeshiva Academy of Harrisburg, where she had been a student for her first six grades. Later she became President of the PTO and the President of the school's Board of Directors.

For nearly 30 years, Joan was the director of patient education at the Harrisburg State Hospital. There, she also was a founder of the HSH Historical Committee. She was instrumental in the founding and operation of the Dorothea Dix Museum on the hospital grounds. Joanie became active in and life member of the Pennsylvania Association for Adult and Continuing Education (PAACE). She was the president of PAACE and received its award for being the Outstanding Adult Educator. For the last twenty-five years, she has been the Executive Director of PAACE.

She was on the Board of the Dauphin County Library System for two non-consecutive periods of eight years ending in 2005. She also was a member the Mayor's Commission on Literacy since its creation and a docent at the Governor's Residence.

Joan was actively involved in religious life. She was Life Member of the National Council of Jewish Women and Hadassah and until her illness made it impossible, she was a faithful daily attendee at the morning minyan at Beth El Synagogue. However, she considered the most significant part of her religious work was as a member of the Chevra Kadisha, the Holy Society that prepares the dead for burial. For the work on behalf of Conservative Judaism, her synagogue, the Rabbi David L. Silver Yeshiva of Harrisburg, and her community, in 1995 Joanie received the Second Century Award from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. In addition, last April, the local Jewish Community honored her as a Community Mitzvah Hero.

For the last five years, all the immediate family got together in August for a weekend. At the end of the weekend, the seven oldest grandchildren stayed for a week of "Grandma Camp". During the ensuing week the days were filled with amusement parks, swimming, museums, shows and factory tours. The true purpose of the camp was to make sure that the cousins got to really know each other.

Funeral services were held Monday, with Rabbi Eric Cytryn officiating, my borther John, sister Ann, Aunt Jery and my mom's friend Pat Taksen delivering moving eulogies. Rabby Jeffry Wohlberg spoke beautifully of her as well.

Contributions may be made to the Rabbi David L. Silver, Yeshiva Academy or the Dauphin County Library System, Attn: Joan Y. Leopold, Endowment Fund, 101 Walnut Street Harrisburg, PA 17101.

Published in the Patriot-News on 2/4/2006.

My brother david put together the following:

JOAN LEOPOLD 1941 – 2006 Joan Leopold, who for more than four decades was a force in mental health in Pennsylvania, a tireless advocate for literacy, and a significant member of the Harrisburg Jewish community, died in her sleep Friday morning, according to her husband, Sandy Leopold, the result of complications from genetic lung cancer. She was diagnosed in March 2004.

Leopold worked as a teacher and administrator for more than thirty years at the Harrisburg State Hospital, where she instituted a wide range of programs covering everything from patient voting to a daycare center for the children of hospital employees.

Leopold was a pioneer in the use of newspapers in the classroom, and was named to Newspaper in Education Hall of Fame. She helped save thousands of artifacts from destruction that told the history of the more than century old hospital, once a self-contained “city on the hill.” Leopold and the newly formed Historical Committee went on to found the award winning Dorthea Dix Museum on the grounds of the hospital. The Dix Museum used the history of the Harrisburg State Hospital to tell the story of mental health in Pennsylvania. With the Hospital’s closing at the end of 2005, the objects in the collection were integrated into the State Museum’s holdings.

Leopold, a life long resident of Dauphin County, served on the board of the County’s Library for two decades, as well as on the board of the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy, and the Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education (PAACE). For PAACE, she was an executive director and past president, and had lead the planning and hosting of the state wide organization’s annual midwinter conference for more than 25 years. The organization’s board voted in December to change the name of the PAACE Service Award to the Joan Y. Leopold Award for Service to PAACE. Through an endowment begun by Leopold’s family, the Dauphin County Library has announced that their annual Children’s Book Week will be renamed in Joan Leopold’s honor. “A tireless advocate for both child and adult literacy, Joan believed that reading opens a world of education and imagination,” said a Library spokesperson. “It lives on in her family, students, and all those she touched through her efforts."

A life long member of the Harrisburg Jewish community, she attended the Yeshiva Academy, a Jewish day school her father, Irving Yaverbaum helped found, and would eventually teach there. She sent her five children there, and eventually became board president. She sat on the board of Temple Beth El where she was a member for five decades, and served in different capacities for Saturday services. “She lived her Judaism,” said her son John. Leopold attended morning minyan nearly everyday for more than 25 years, prepared the temple’s confirmation class each year for their ceremony, and joined the Chevra Kadisha that prepares bodies for Jewish burial. “She said that she wanted to do this,” said John, “as her way of showing final respect for the community members that supported her throughout her life.”

Born in Harrisburg on January 25, 1941 to Irving and Esther Yaverbaum, Joan Leopold was the third of four daughters. A graduate of Harrisburg High School, she was part of a radio show called Teen Town Talk, started by her older sister, Judy, which featured events at the local schools. She met her future husband, Marx S. Leopold from Elkins Park, at 15 on a blind date. At 20, she graduated Dickinson College in only three years in order to get married. She had five children by the age of 26. As a young mother, she found time to be part of the National Council of Jewish Women, dedicated to preventing discrimination. She made numerous appearances at schools presenting “The Green Circle” which memorably illustrated to children the ideas of acceptance and tolerance.

For her 12 grandchildren, Leopold and her husband began a weeklong “Grandma Camp” where they took their charges to pretzel factories, children’s theater, and swimming pools “because she wanted to make sure that her grandchildren enjoyed each other’s company,” explained John, “as much as she enjoyed theirs.”

Friends of ours were hurt this week. They had opened their home to a friend of their son who was a bit troubled. I don't know all the details but the boy took a baseball bat to our friends, breaking bones and severly bruising them along with most of the interior of the house. Reports are that the police made their arrest. The friends came out of surgery and are recuperating. The community responded by cleaning up the house and setting things right.

Now, this is the kind of thing that just does not happen to a successful doctor and teacher in suburbia. They are good, spiritual people who were sharing a bit of lovingkindness and generosity. Cynical people would say "Yeah, look what they got for their efforts." The airy fairy would make this mean something in the big void of belief.

I say, damn, I need to pay attention.

Pay attention to those who are helping others and offer my assistance as well.
Pay attention to those who aren't communicating that they are hurting.

Mostly, pay less attention to the minutia and more to the things that make a difference.

Bush Sure Does Like Brownies

Brownies are named for former FEMA Director Michael "Brownie" Brown. They are defined by their lack of experience but breadth of tenure with Bush, his friends, favorite lobbyists and other cronies.

Our first award receipient is Julie L. Myers , the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The bureau has 15,000 employees and a budget of $4 billion. But Brownie Myers has no experience managing a large government agency and has not worked with immigration issues. Before her coronation she was the special assistant for personnel to Mr. Bush. But she was also nominated to be Brownie Myers as one of the youngest (36) and most inexperienced (0) officials to ever head an agency. Most likely her personal connections account for the appointment. See, she is the niece of General Richard Myers, who was recently the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and she just wed Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff’s chief of staff, John F. Wood.

Never mind Congress issued a statutory requirement that appointees have at least 5 years of relevant experience in management and law enforcement. Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) went so far as to tell Myers that her résumé indicates she is not qualified for the job.

Baylor University
Cornell Law School
Clerked for C. Arlen Beam US Court of Appeals, Eight Circuit
Associate at Mayer, Brown & Platt
Federal Prosecutor in Brooklyn - 2 years
Associate for Kenneth Star - 1.3 years
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Money Laundering and Financial Crimes at the Treasury Department.
Chief of Staff for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice
Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement - 1 year
(170 employees - $25 mil budget)
Personnel Assistant to President

And they call me a job hopper....

Are you being served?

I was going to post a little info on a search engine I have been using called Clusty. They create clusters of search results so that everything is in neat categories. But beyond that, they seem to find bunches of results Google doesn't have. But then I wanted to make the headline for this something related to the number of pages Google indexes. Remember when they used to show that number? It was kinda like McDonald's telling us 10, then 20, then 90 Billion hamburgers served. It was something to watch and note. I did a quick search for Google and McDonalds on Google to see if I could get an up date to number.

Nada, nilda, zilch .

But I did find out that SKYPE is carrying on the tradition. As of this moment - 236,322,557 downloads.

iPoo

For the guy or gal who got an iPod for the holidays and has just about every possible accessory..... a toilet paper dispenser iPod docking station.

2 Guitars + 2 Cellos + 1 Violin = A Real Good Time

Alejandro Escovedo played the World Cafe Live in Philly this weekend. It was sold out. I saw his quintet opening for Los Lobos and have fallen for his unique blend of styles. His group has a violin, 2 cellos and 2 guitars. Check out his latest album - Room of Songs.

A Citron, A Sukkah and You

Saw a wonderful movie this weekend called Ushpizin. A modern (orthodox - nope make that hassidic) look at love and faith. It has been winning some awards and lots of great reviews. Find it in a city near you.

Truthiness is Word of the Year

I liked Bill Clinton's stint as President. I think he did a lot for our country, channeling our energies effectively. I think he worked hard for good compromise with Congress. I believe he worked hard to make us respectful in the world community. Don't get me wrong, the man had many faults and vices and was not always straight with us. But when he uttered the immortal line "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms Lewinsky", it was a statement that was then replayed and analyzed over and over again in the following months. His actions and statements led to his impeachment by the House. They alleged that the President had provided perjurious, false and misleading testimony to the grand jury regarding the Paula Jones case and his relationship with Monica Lewinsky and that he had obstructed justice through an effort to delay, impede, cover up and conceal the existence of evidence related to the Jones case.

Now I am not a fan of George Bush (he said restraining his fury). I struggle to understand what good he had done for our country. I see him channeling government work to cronies and corporate sponsors. And his use of energy, Big Energy actually, or its use of him, is shameful. I do not see him working on compromises with anyone but himself. And he has done more to lose respect for America than any other individual has done in our history. So I see many faults and many vices. And I believe he has not been straight with us. What I really can't stand is the pass he is being given for the following statement he made in April 2004:

"there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution. "

And now we find that President Bush signed a secret order 30 times since 2002 to enable the NSA to wiretap domestic sources. Some say this is an illegal act since if he needs a domestic wiretap he can go to the courts with the authority of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act. The court is called Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court.

So which lie, for they both are just that, do you believe caused more harm? A President perjuring himself in a sexual harrasement case or a President acting unconstitionally (is that a word?) by not allowing due process? And if it the latter, doesn't he deserve to be brought up on impeachment charges?

Juicy
Growing up, I hated Penn State. Everyone I knew went there and everyone who didn't still rooted for them in my hometown. They also were a football powerhouse. It didn't help that I had siblings who went to Pitt when the Panthers could actually be a decent rival.

So I should not have enjoyed last night's Orange Bowl win against Florida State.

But let's take a look. Honorable, retro coaches who genuinely respect & like each other and their players (but not the ankle biting press). A comeback at the end of the first half that culminated in perhaps the greatest catch for a touchdown there has ever been. A freshman kicker who misses two field goals and doesn't get lectured or hugged but tapped on the helmet by a wise coach then kicks a clutch extra point and a game winning field goal in the third overtime period. A supposed washed up running back who ran the game of his life. An All-American linebacker defying gravity, stretched out flying through the sky, unfortunately injuring his knee but staying in the stadium instead of the locker room so he could see what was happens.

And I could go on.

So give it up for JoePA, the Nittany Lions and even the Seminoles for keeping us up way past all our bedtimes for good reason.

Where's Brian Dunkleman When You Need Him?
Was it just me or do others think Dick Clark should not have made an appearance on his Rockin' New Year's Eve Show ? I respect the man, he has done some amazing things in his lifetime, and I do not mean to denigrate those who have had a stroke. It must be horrible and it was amazing to hear the progress he has made.

But I am sad if his ego got the better of him.

I was just getting a little excited for the ball to drop, even with the Ryan Seacrist as host, when he appeared and it put a damper on the whole affair. Do we need something politically correct at that moment? Do we need to be reminded of something like that when we are about to scream our heads off and kiss the one we love (and what was up with the kissing and groping on screen by Dick and his lovely wife Kari) in enthusiastic celebration.

It would be better to remember him as he was...