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I am spending today and the entire weekend at the IT Pro 2008 conference being held ironically in my hometown of New Orleans. Jeff Middleton, a guru of Small Business Server, has held this conference once before last year and it proved to be so well received that he organized a second one over the course of three days. For IT professionals who have never been to New Orleans, it's a great way to learn about best practices and to experience demonstrations of new products intended to work closely with Windows Server 2008 and the upcoming release of Windows Small Business Server 2008 expected in the fall. This is the real deal and is not a Microsoft rollout of prepared propaganda that glosses over problems inherent with operating systems. It is a conference of people who work in the field on a daily basis and who are working with clients as business solution providers. If it works, they know about it. If it doesn't, they let everyone know too. Frankly, I love the amount of IT expertise being expressed in this conference by the speakers and the attendees. More on this conference later. Right now, we have to conduct a parade to Bourbon Street!

Remembering the fallen and the rise of Israel

Last night's community-wide celebration at Conservative Congregation Shir Chadash was an emotional program for several reasons. The evening began before sunset as the fallen members of the Israel Defense Force and others who fought for the independence of the State of Israel were commemorated in a series of prayers led by several rabbis representing the entire spectrum of Jewish religious thought. Prominent were host Rabbi Ted Lichtenfeld and Rabbi Andrew Busch of Touro Synagogue, both of whom arrived just prior to Hurricane Katrina and both of whom have announced plans to relocate to other communities before the third anniversary of the storm. Rabbi Robert Loewy of Gates of Prayer and Rabbi Uri Topolosky of Congregation Beth Israel rounded out the local contingent of rabbis. Gates of Prayer Cantorial Soloist Victoria May and Cantor Joel Colman of Temple Sinai led the audience in several Hebrew prayers and songs with accompaniment on May's guitar. Guest Rabbi Uri Barnea, a native of Israel and a musical conductor and composer now the spiritual leader of Temple B'nai Israel in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, gave a talk on the history of Israeli music with demonstrations on violin and recorder. He also provided taped highlights of several well-known Israeli performers. The event coincided with the start of Yom Ha'Azmut, Israel Independence Day, as observed on the Hebrew calendar. The date on the English calendar is May 14, which was the date when Israel declared its independence in 1948, three score years ago.

A Split Decision

Well, it appears that the closely fought contest in Indiana went to Clinton and the race in North Carolina went (as expected) to Obama. Between the two, North Carolina was the slightly bigger prize. But how different are we today than we were yesterday? In short there are fewer committed delegates than there are uncommitted superdelegates. So, the Democratic nomination is looking more and more like a series of backroom deals between politicians than an elective process that emanates from the people. Frankly, I'm not sure that the people are served by a system that elevates one group of delegates over another. Yet, there was a dichotomy expressed in Clinton's speech late Tuesday night that many of the political observers couldn't help but notice. On the one hand, she said she was committed to continuing the battle in the remaining contests, but she also stated publicly that no matter who was the Democratic nominee, she would support him. That sounds like she may have begun to see the obvious. If the pundits are correct, she has loaned herself over six million dollars to continue the financing of the the campaign over the course of the last month. She may be running out of patience and money. Hey, I can think of plenty of things worse than having to be the first woman to accept the vice-presidency. Maybe she is keeping her options open, spinning her campaign a bit more acceptably toward the Obama camp. We'll see.

Sisters and Brothers

Yesterday might have been the most perfect day for Jazz Fest that I've experienced since my halcyon days as a footloose and fancy-free bachelor. True, there was quite a bit of residual mud left over from several days of downpours and sloshing by festival goers, but the music and spirit of revelry carried the day. Despite cloudless skies, the sun was moderate and, with a generous application of sunscreen quite manageable. Copious amounts of water enabled me to keep hydrated throughout the day and I found the humidity levels much more tolerable due to the cold front that moved through on Saturday. The day began for me at Economy Hall, where I had a third row seat for the Pfister Sisters. The Pfister Sisters have been together since the 1980s as a tribute vocal group to the Boswell Sisters, the original jazz vocal group of three real New Orleanian siblings who took the nation by storm in the Roaring Twenties. The Pfister Sisters, Holly Bentsen, Yvette Voelker, and Debbie Davis, have recaptured the intricate jazz harmonies of the Boswells (Martha, Vet and Connee) to perfection, lovingly mixing them with their own original compositions like "Laissez Faire" and "Down at the Jazz Fest." If any group could ever represent the sweetness and slightly naughty nature of New Orleans's fairer sex, it would, no doubt, be the Pfister Sisters. Debbie Davis, who took over the important midrange vocals from her early predecessor Suzy Malone, added ukulele to the program and asked her husband, sousaphonist Matt Perrine, to accompany the group on stage. Oddly, two other musicians with the same first names, guitarist Matt Johnson and violinist Matt Rhody, were also heard and seen onstage to enhance the heavenly vocals of the Pfister Sisters. Amasa Miller, a gifted pianist, who is also known as Charmaine Neville’s musical director, led the entire musical ensemble. Following the show I made sure to get to the front of the line to have them sign their new CD, "Puttin' It On," titled after an original Boswell Sisters classic. When in town for the French Quarter Festival a few weeks back, well-known cabaret singer and songwriter Amanda McBroom noted at her last show at Le Chat Noir that she was incredibly impressed with the Pfister Sisters. That was a great tribute from a great source and I so informed the Pfister Sisters, who were cooling down from a hot performance. Following a bit of Festival food, I headed over the to the Professor Longhair Acura Stage, where I encamped for the remainder of the day. Up first was Carlos Santana, who brought back many of his classic early hits like "Jingo," "Black Magic Woman," "Oye, Como Va," and "Soul Sacrifice" along with new hits like "Maria, Maria" and "Smooth." The very sultry and sexy guitar stylings of Santana were a perfect intro to the deans of New Orleans music, the Neville Brothers, who appeared for the first time at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival since Hurricane Katrina. The set was mostly old time favorites like "Yellow Moon," "Brother John/Iko Iko," "Meet de Boys on the Battlefront," and "Fire on the Bayou." By far and away the most anticipated part of the Nevilles act was the angelic voice of Aaron Neville, who dedicated several of his selections like "Tell It Like It Is" and closer "Amazing Grace" to his late wife Joel. Aaron has recently relocated back to New Orleans, after living in Tennessee for most of the last three years. Towards the end of their set, the Nevilles invited Carlos Santana to sit in with them for a song to the delight of the audience who could see the stage directly or those watching on two huge video screens on either side of the stage. Sometime as the sun set on the massive crowd assembled in the infield of the historic Fair Grounds, I knew I had finally arrived back in the city of my birth. The Nevilles were on the Jazz Fest stage closing things out. The crowd was swaying back and forth to the music. Everyone was happy and God was in his place in the universe.

Meet the Biggest Loser

My sister told me she already knew I was the biggest loser and that I didn't need a contest to prove it. Hmmm...one would think that she was a bit jealous, especially since she had to use WeightWatchers to achieve her goals. (Not that there's anything wrong with WeightWatchers, mind you.) But I will not let her bring me down on a day in which I am victorious and basking in the inner glow of my accomplishment. I have yet to talk to my trainer, Ben Schoenfeld, but goodness, gracious how wonderful it is to have set a goal and reached it. He is exactly what I wanted: a tough, hardened drill sergeant who forced me to do exercises I would never have dreamed of doing. He is keen on working on improving the core muscles so a lot of times in the circuit room I was balancing on some mechanism while using free weights. He is amazing and I look forward to moving forward with him as my journey towards fitness continues.
Kudos to Debbie Pesses of the Jewish Community Center for last night's excellent Yom HaShoah program featuring Dr. Mark Wygoda, a McNeese University professor and head of the department of zoology, who spoke on his father Hermann Wygoda. For those not familiar with the elder Wygoda's fight against the Nazis during World War II, I would recommend picking up a copy of "In the Shadow of the Swastika," his memoirs, which the younger Wygoda helped publish. In short, Hermann Wygoda resisted the Nazis by refusing to wear a Jewish yellow star. He spoke perfect German, which got him through many a close call and helped save his life on many an occasion. Eventually, he moved to the heart of the Nazi war machine in Berlin from his native Poland before taking off for Italy to join the partisans fighting against the German forces in Savona. Known as "Enrico," Wygoda ended the war as a division commander. Most of those he saved in Savona had no idea he was Jewish, much less that he wasn't German. A special tribute was given to Immaculate Conception School, whose middle school studies the Holocaust. Representatives of the school as well as many of the students who attend came to the somber ceremonies and witnessed how the survivors took them to heart. It was an incredible night of remembrance and a special time for those who were not born during the era, but who knew many of the victims and their relatives.

Do these blogs make me look fat?

Wow! For those who don't believe what the power of a picture can be, check out the before and after pictures taken a few months apart. (Obviously, I must like that tie a lot because it's featured in both shots.) According to the fitness director at the JCC who sponsored "The Biggest Loser" contest, I was in the lead as of yesterday afternoon. I knew I had lost nearly 18 pounds in the six weeks and one day I participated in the contest, but much more impressive than that was the total of 14.5 INCHES that I lost from shoulders, waist, legs, and arms. The point is that anyone can do this if only they put their minds to it. If I am announced as the winner, I will get ten additional sessions with my trainer, Ben Schoenfeld, who has been a major reason for my achieving the impressive results above. I'll let you know.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice spoke Tuesday at the American Jewish Committee's 102nd National Annual meeting. For those of you who missed it, the Secretary talked at length about the commitment of the Bush administration to the State of Israel. She proudly mentioned the historic connection between the U.S. and Israel and emphasized that only 11 minutes elapsed between the time of the announcement of the formation of the modern State of Israel by David Ben-Gurion and official U.S. recognition. Rice reiterated that the U.S. policy has and will continue to be to ensure the survival of the Jewish State by defending it whenever its security is threatened. She stressed the need to isolate Hamas and other terrorist interests in the Middle East who continue to work against the Road Map to peace there. The Secretary of State made it clear that the Bush administration will continue to bring Israelis and Palestinians to the peace table, despite the hard choices being faced by all. She took time to note the close friendship she and former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon shared and stated that his successor Ehud Olmert is as strong leader for his people. Rice's most pointed comments concerned Iran and its continuing to train and support Islamic extremists who are bent on the destruction of Israel. In a question and answer period that followed the talk, Rice was asked to comment on former President Jimmy Carter's recent meeting with Hamas. She took the opportunity to again state that Carter was advised not to meet with Hamas, because they would use that meeting to forward their agenda. She commented that she didn't see any point to meeting with people who are bent on the destruction of peace there.

Yom HaShoah commemorations began earlier today in Israel due to the advent of Shabbat on Friday. The local JCC has a program that will begin tonight just before sundown featuring survivors, their children and grandchildren. This holiday also known as Holocaust Memorial day remembers the victims of the violence and prejudice of the Holocaust and allows survivors to recall those family members they lost. Among the six million souls lost, over one million were innocent children slain during the time of the Nazi madness. In Israel a two-minute period of silence was observed and flags have been flying at half-staff all day. Next week the Israelis will commemorate Yom HaZikaron, Israel Memorial Day, and Yom HaAtzma'ut, Israel Independence Day, which kicks off the "Israel at 60" celebrations. President Bush and Secretary of State Rice are both expected to attend the festivities along with a host of other dignitaries and celebrities.

The Last Chance Workout

Howdy, pardner. This here's the Old West and this fancy saloon is called The Last Chance. See that fellow over yonder at the far end of the bar? Yep, the one sippin' water, like a horse. That's none other than Slim Smason. Now, Slim is lookin' pretty good these days, but nigh over a month ago he was sittin' a lot heavier in his saddle. Seems like he made some kind of wager in a contest called "The Biggest Loser." Heh heh...that's some name, huh? Anyway, ol' Slim started eatin' different. He wouldn't have none of them Porterhouse steaks or eat any of them fancy desserts we got here on the menu. Nope. He ate chicken and turkey and canned tuna. Can you imagine? He swore off any of them carbonated fountain drinks like sasparilla and said goodbye to rockgut whiskey. We thought he was a bit peculiar before, but then he started hookin' up with this outfit called the JCC. They put that feller through his paces like a dude at a ranch. A lot of us were balled up laughing at Slim. One feller at the JCC had him doin' all kinds of exercisin' and he was a'huffin' and a'puffin' and sweatin' like a Brahma bull. They worked him so hard he was put away wet every day. But it wasn't long before ol' Slim started sheddin' weight like crazy. He lost two, four, six, ten, fifteen pounds before long and he started lookin' a bit taller in his saddle too. So, today the jig is up. Slim is due to get checked out at the JCC outfit and for them to record just how much weight and inches he's lost. Slim says his blood pressure is a lot lower and he's movin' around a lot more spry these days. Regardless of whether he's the Biggest Loser or not, he's already a winner, he says. Well, that's about all I got to say, pardner. I'm headin' across the street to the other big saloon to celebrate with the rest of the town about how we corralled them Mavericks last night. You know that place, don't ya? It's called The Second Round!