Leaping Lizards

What distinguishes an intercalary or leap year from a common year in the Gregorian calendar is a single day, February 29, which we call Leap Day. Today is that special day and it is certainly true that for the few who are born today, most will probably not see their 25th birthday. But save those tears. They can choose to celebrate either my birthday, February 28, or my Uncle Irvin's birthday, March 1, as their own each year, leaping their way from one to the other every other year that their true date of birth doesn't appear on the calendar. Leap Day has many traditions associated with it, some of which are fun and exciting, while others are downright scary. For example, four years ago Leap Day was on a Sunday and it was the occasion of our Boy Scouts Council's first annual interfaith Ten Commandments Hike, which Dr. Cedric Walker of Tulane University's Biomedical Engineering Department dubbed "The Leap of Faith" hike. Leap Day will not occur on a Sunday again until 2032, but when it does, on the 28th annual hike, I hope to be marching right there with all the others along St. Charles Avenue. Leap Day figures as a literary device in the book of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty" where the abducted pirate Frederic is informed that because he was born on February 29 he is "a little boy of five" and has not yet reached 21, the date when he would no longer be indentured and would be free to dispatch the pirates. Probably the most dubious tradition associated with Leap Day is the one that affords women the ability to pop the question when seeking a proposal of marriage. How this became a tradition remains to be seen, since it has only been since the Nineteenth Century that its practice became attributed. It is important to remind everyone that Leap Day is not Sadie Hawkins Day, as some misinformed parties would have us believe. Cartoonist Al Capp came up with the idea of Sadie Hawkins Day on November 15, 1937. Sadie was reputed to be the homeliest girl in all of fictional Dogpatch and her father Hekzebiah, worried about her prospects for marriage, instituted a barefoot race for the ladies to chase down the bachelors of the town as potential mates. Due to the popularity of the strip, Sadie Hawkins Day races sprang up across college campuses in the late 1930's with the losers usually having to attend a dance or some other event. In more recent years the date the idea first appeared in Capp's strip has since been determined to be Sadie Hawkins Day or November 15, but its popularity has faded and really has nothing to do with Leap Day. The only similarity between the two days is that a woman can take the initiative in asking a man to be married. So, in the meantime guys, be very careful today or else you may have to worry about the letters in L-E-A-P being respelled P-E-A-L as in peals of wedding bells.

You say it's your birthday...

By New Orleans standards it is a cold day here but, by Cleveland standards, it is spring. This is the first birthday I have spent in my hometown in three years. In many ways things are the same as they were when I left on that Friday before the storm hit, foolishly thinking I was only going away for a weekend vacation trip. Sadly, though, much of what had been is gone and will probably never return. So what has been the upshot of the last three years? Well, for one, it has forced me to deal with my literary muse. I started writing much more after the Federal Flood of 2005, as some locals prefer to call it. My writing led to my working at the Cleveland Jewish News for over a year and a half, which, in turn, led to my present work at the Deep South Jewish Voice. And now, this penchant for writing has led me to pour myself into this vehicle...the Kosher Computing blog. Three years ago I enjoyed my last birthday in New Orleans at historic Antoine's Restaurant, the oldest dining establishment in the city. I was overjoyed at the fact that President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn had dropped by and that I had taken pictures of them alone and then with my mother. I was displeased, though, that the picture of the four of us taken by the Secret Service agent was blurry. Now, three years later, after Carter's recent book on Israel and Palestine titled "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid," showed him to be much less a friend of Israel than I had hoped, I am somewhat relieved that the image is blurred. For those of you who are interested, here's the link: http://groups.msn.com/musiclovers/alansbirthday.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=964
So, a lot has happened in three years, but I'm back now. For the most part my friends and family are both intact and there has been a lot of good that has come out of a very bad situation. It is always easy to see the bad following a disaster of the likes no city in our nation has endured. But items like greater cooperation between factions, a renewed sense of spirit, and less fractiousness are also evident. By the time my next birthday rolls around, I think there will be even more reasons to smile. New Orleans is definitely coming back and the people who love it will continue to make it "America's Most Interesting City."

Those violet eyes

Every year on the day before my own birthday I am reminded of another, that of Academy Award winning actress Elizabeth Taylor who was born on February 27, 1932, making her almost exactly one month younger than my mother. Rather than the Liz of today, who is oftentimes confined to a wheelchair, I reminisce about the Liz of yesteryear. Truly, the years have not been very kind to the supremely beautiful lady who first came to America from England as a youngster to film "National Velvet." Yet, when I think about her classic beauty -- her seemingly perfect skin, hair and makeup -- I am drawn to those piercing violet eyes. Yes, they are violet and they are most impressive. Violet eyes are a very rare occurrence in nature, but they do happen occasionally. How appropriate that Liz, by most accounts one of the best actresses in Hollywood during the 50s and 60s, should have a rare set of violet eyes to accentuate her ample talents. In all my life I have only met one person who had violet eyes, and hers were also quite compelling. I also find it interesting that the two biggest sex symbols of their time, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, both converted to Judaism in order to marry. Not that it means anything, but on the day before my birthday, it does give me pause. So, if anyone is seriously thinking about what I want for my birthday tomorrow, I'm thinking it should start with violet eyes, although green eyes might do in a pinch.
William F. Buckley (1925-2008): I was sad to read of the demise of a true political icon, the brilliant William F. Buckley of TV's "Firing Line," who died in Connecticut at age 82. Buckley was acknowledged as a great editor for "The National Review," which he founded in 1955, as well as a formidable debater, a novelist, a trans-oceanic sailor and a harpsochordist among his many talents. He was a true renaissance man and oftentimes the biggest voice for conservatism in this country. I was fortunate to hear Buckley speak once at a journalism seminar in 1981 at the University of Hartford. He was glib and spoke with eloquence. His well-chosen opening lines recalled a supposed meeting in a Louisiana men's room between arch segregationist Judge Leander Perez and eventual three-time Governor Earl Long. "'What do you think we're going to do now that the feds have themselves an a-tomic bomb?"' Buckley said. The crowd responded with peels of laughter. The fact he was using my home state to illustrate his point was not lost on me. Buckley will be missed by all well-read individuals who may have disagreed with his points, but admired the style and felicity of his expression.

Cleveland, the epicenter of the political universe

It seems at first an odd choice that the final debate between the two Democratic candidates battling it out for their party's nomination should be Cleveland, my old stomping grounds. But on closer examination, Cleveland might just be the perfect choice to debate the future course of America from the Democrats' perspective. Cleveland is an old city which has stood the test of time through periods of great economic progress and financial distress. During the height of its attraction to the very upper crust, the so-called "Millionaires' Row" of Euclid Avenue sprang up with magnificent mansions, beautiful grounds and huge house staffs to support them. Fast forward to the 1970s and the dual images of the Cleveland River on fire and a very young Dennis Kucinich announcing that his city was going into default seem to jump out. Yet, in the 1990s a period of rebirth kicked off with several strategic plans taking foothold and the city once again began to show signs of definite progress. Today the Theatre District of Cleveland is second in size only to that of New York's fabled Broadway. The arts scene is also impressive with Severance Hall acknowledged as one of the country's most exciting of classical venues and the Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Institute of Music as cultural jewels in the city's crown. The Cleveland Clinic and Univesity Hospital systems provide some of the greatest medical care in the world. The area where the Cleveland River flows downtown now plays hosts to hundreds of birds during spring and summer as they nest near the new NFL Stadium and the eye-catching Rock and Roll Hall of Fame complex. With the blessings of city planners, new developments are being presented to encourage young professionals and others to consider living in the downtown area. The city appears poised to begin to attract many of those young dreamers who previously fled the city in search of better jobs and lifestyles. While Cleveland clearly has its problems still, it has shown considerable progress in reinventing itself from a city whose wealth originally came from steel mills and manufacturing into a much healthier and safer place to raise families. So, Cleveland is the nexus of the political world tonight. NBC's Tim Russert, who is a graduate of John Carroll University (next to where I lived while until last April), will be one of the moderators and will be giving the national debate a little bit of local color, if only for a moment or two. Here's to you, Cleveland. Enjoy your moment in the spotlight and don't let anyone put you down. As I see it, there is no longer a "mistake by the lake."

Of hoaxes, scams and spam (Part 4)

Today's blog will be the last in this series on the evils associated with e-mails, but probably not my last word on it. Seemingly, the most innocuous problem, but one that still needs to be addressed is the e-mail hoax. Hoaxes have become much more prevalent in recent times, but they have existed for decades. A typical hoax arrives in an Inbox from someone you know. That is the main thing that distinguishes it from spam. The e-mail warns of a problem, wants you to forward a petition to stop something from happening or suggests that you will be rewarded financially by forwarding it to as many people in your contact list that you can. Let me state that e-mails are a method and a means to communicate. It is the same concept as sending a conventional letter, only quicker. However, in any case it is a best attempt method. You assume that if you hit the "Send" button, it will reach the desired target. In that way it is similar to a postal box on a street corner. Depositing a letter in the box will more than likely assure the addressee will receive it, but there is no guarantee of that. In the case of a phone call, the message is assured of being received when the person picks up the phone. Under no circumstances will sending or forwarding a single e-mail bring you untold wealth, prevent or enact legislation, get you a guy or gal, or change the world other than to clog mailboxes of your family and friends. Hoaxes have become so prevalent that several sites like Snopes.com http://www.snopes.com/ and Hoaxbusters http://www.hoaxbusters.org/ have sprung up to refute hoaxes and to validate the ones that are correct. Suffice it to say, please check out either of these sites before you forward an e-mail. It will prevent the proliferation of the spam, but will also indicate to you if you are the victim of a hoax from a well-meaning friend or family member or not. Sometimes, validated e-mails that contain an element of truth may be used to inspire yet another hoax. Until last week I had never received a legitimate Amber Alert about a missing child. Last week's message was confirmed by Snopes.com, but the missing girl was last seen over two years ago and the person who was suspected of abducting her committed suicide as authorities drew closer. I don't believe any case could have been colder. However, I would warmly welcome receiving that legitimate e-mail a hundred times over were there be any way to cut out the numerous fake "virus alerts" that I have received in the last year alone. Now the hoaxers are getting more devious. They will find a legitimate e-mail alert and use that as a basis for a new hoax. A good example of that is the "You've received an e-mail from a friend, etc." spam. This spyware was going around last year and Snopes.com warned everyone that it was a legitimate threat. So what did the hoaxers do? They simply changed the new e-mails to point to the Snopes.com site with the words "I checked it out on Snopes.com" to reinforce to everyone that the threat was real and off went another volley of hoaxes to family and friends. Be careful to check the threats out and make sure that what Snopes.com or Hoaxbusters.com says is exactly as it appears in your e-mail. If not, don't pass it on. Dispose of it immediately and don't clog up your family and friends' mail boxes. In any endeavor or undertaking education is key. It is my hope that you've learned a little something about the threats (real or not) from e-mails. Time for me to go and clean out my Inbox.

Of hoaxes, scams and spam (Part 3)

What has become the most troubling of trends in recent years is something called phishing. Phishing is an attempt to mine for personal information such as Social Security numbers, bank account and routing numbers, passwords to online banking, and driver's license numbers as a way to steal your identity and then your personal resources. The way phishing typically works is through an initial e-mail that purports to come from your bank, your credit union or from Amazon.com, Paypal, or some other Internet entity. The e-mail looks genuine and purports to come from a trusted source. It may even have genuine links leading to a legitimate site. Once you click on the link, you will be whisked to their site and, oftentimes, will be at their prey. Please don't be taken in by these criminals. It is the same as someone randomly dialing you over the phone and asking you to give them your personal information or the keys to your financial kingdom. In some cases the culprits empty bank accounts so quickly and transfer the monies to overseas accounts that are untraceable. Why does a cleverly-designed phony e-mail merit any more attention than a quick deletion? Yet, thousands have been fooled and hundreds of new phishing attempts occur every day. Be concious that things may not be way they seem. Always type the URL (universal resource locator) of Internet sites you know in the browser's address bar. Don't click on links you don't know. Also, take the time out to forward the phony e-mails to your Internet service provider's fraud department. The sooner they can decipher from whom these messages are sent, the quicker the crooked parties will be thrown into prison and their victims will have a chance at getting restitution. The good news is that today's most updated browsers (internet Explorer 7.0 and Mozilla Firefox 2.0) will warn you of phishing attempts and prevent you from making a mistake you will regret for the rest of your lives. Also, check with the federal government's http://onguardonline.gov for more information. Remember: NO banking institution or Internet mainstay like PayPal, e-Bay, Amazon, etc. will ever request personal information via an e-mail. They will utilize secure socket layers (the browser begins with https:) to make certain that the information is encrypted and never sent through an unsecured location. Many doctors' offices and hospitals (pharmacies too) have to comply with H.I.P.P.A and have to provide encryption and security when sending private and personal information over the Internet. It goes without saying to be careful to never give out your full Social Security number to any party other than your bank, your broker, or a true and trusted government official and then only in person. We'll next tackle the problems with hoaxes and why we should all be cautious in forwarding e-mails to warn our neighbors of potential problems.

Of hoaxes, scams and spam (Part 2)

We've already covered how insidious the plague of mass e-mailings are. The majority of these are basically commercial in nature and are attempts to sell some product or service that we can all do well without. Some are salacious invitations to meet women from exotic locales and those can be especially troubling because they may be nothing more than financial lures to meet your money. I always caution men who receive invitations from women from the Philippines, Russia, Japan, etc. that they are probably not dealing with an exciting svelte beauty weighing 110 pounds, but more likely a hairy obese chain-smoking man who is writing anything he thinks someone on the other end wants to read. The words caveat emptor have never been more appropriate. I also have never wanted the massive doses of Viagra, Cialis or God knows whatever sexually-enhancing drugs that are pushed over the Internet through these kinds of e-mails, but I guess they must think I need them. I am sure that the amounts offered to me alone would be enough to keep the Titanic from sinking (rim shot please). Aside from Canadian drug outlets, video cameras, rental properties, airline specials, there are considerable products ad nauseum that are available and will be available in coming months via e-mail solicitations. Suffice it to say the delete key will be your best friend. So why am I so particularly upset at the influx of spam? It's not just the amount of time it takes for everyone to delete these egregious e-mails, although if one does the math, the amount of dollars lost per year per employee in dealing with them is in the billions of dollars. It is also the amount of time and dollars that must be spent to combat them on a local and global basis. These e-mails bog down networks and diminish bandwidth by the sheer volume passed through servers and the resource-hogging applications that must used to stop them from being passed to the end-user. Believe me, were there no filtering on mail servers, the amount of e-mail spam would be 90 times worse than what is happening at present. Much of the more salacious e-mails dealing with sexual content are screened easily, but others are more devious and are passed through because they appear to be innocent on first look. Beware of embedded links in e-mails. Many of these will take your browser to servers that will attempt to identify you and place a cookie on your computer that will continue to identify you to them. Some of these sites will also "mine" for addresses, names, and other personal data in order to assemble other valid e-mail addresses to send out future spam. It's a never-ending cycle. The best bet is to avoid browsing on sites like this and to delete these e-mails immediately when they enter your inbox. The worst of these kinds of e-mails are attempts to "phish." We will deal with this kind of attack in a future blog.