yitzyk
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yitzykParticipant
I am sure that many people will have different opinions and answers to this question. It is a good question.
True, some people get so obsessed with taking pictures that they forget to be part of the scene themselves. OTOH, some people like doing that, and prefer to view everything through the lens of their camera – perhaps they are shy and use it to shield themselves from human interactions.
For me personally however, I spend 99% of the time enjoying an event, even if I miss many ‘great shots’. I just like taking a picture or two (seriously – just one or two) so that when I look over my collection of pictures, they bring back the memories of when I was there. My photo album is thus more like a photo calendar/journal, reminding me of past events rather than future appointments.
For that purpose, they don’t have to be such great pictures. It is certainly a bonus if the pictures are nice enough for others to enjoy, even if they weren’t there to remember it. But it only works if I took the picture myself, not if I just use a stock photo.
yitzykParticipantThank you yet again, Joseph. And of course R’ Miller ZT”L!
yitzykParticipantThat was beautiful.
Thanks Joseph – keep them coming!
yitzykParticipantMomentarily going back to the topic of eating meat…
I appreciate all of the detailed references quoted here. I never understood how a Frum Yid could be a vegetarian, when the Torah specifically permits it, and even commands it when the meat is Kodshim from Korbannos. Furthermore, Chazzal urge that it be eaten on Shabbos and Yom Tov, as in “Ain Simcha Elah B’Bossor”, or “Bossor V’Dagim Vchol Mattamim,” etc… Now as I understand it, it is an optional degree of abstinance. (Note – that explanation may be plausible, but is still not in line with some of the quotes I have seen that strongly imply or say outright that eating meat is ‘cruel’ and ‘wrong’.)
There is also the nagging question on my mind of what these people will say when Moshiach comes and we once again have a Korban Pesach…
yitzykParticipantWow – more please!! I listened to many of his tapes and read some of his books, but not so recently. I always found the Q&A at the end of the tapes to be the best part, but they were often cut short by the tape ending.
I attended his shiur a few times in person, just to be able to see his face and hear him live at least once while I still could. He was quite old by then, and I was young. I am glad I took that opportunity.
I even asked a few questions myself. I still remember at least one of them, paraphrased here from vague memory. If you find it on tape slightly different than I remember, please don’t hold it against me.
Q: What am I personally supposed to be doing to bring Moshiach? If he does not come, does that mean we failed?
A: Rashi wrote a Peirush on Chumash and Gemara that is used by all of Klal Yisroel. Is there any doubt that Rashi has a very special place in Gan Eden, and that he was a great Tzaddik? Yet Moshiach did not come in his lifetime. Does that Ch”V mean that Rashi failed in his life’s work?
We are not responsible to make sure that Moshiach comes. We just have to work on doing the Mitzvos we are commanded to do, in the best way that we can.July 17, 2017 1:31 pm at 1:31 pm in reply to: SHOCKING Letter Published In Lakewood Newspaper ⚡📰 #1318989yitzykParticipantOne ‘minor’ detail that might have been changed, is whether this ever actually occurred, or if this is just an ‘Op Ed’ attempt at trolling.
It works on comment boards, and it works for newspapers too.
I don’t doubt for a second that it COULD have happened. I have heard many horror stories of parents pressuring or attempting – in those instances where the Hanhola resisted and did the right thing – to get schools to do things that were not right.
yitzykParticipantI have done this a few times. When I first started I got advice from my sister, who at the time worked in Pomegranate and was able to obtain very professional advice. If they are making BIG BUCKS off drying salami, you can be sure that they are doing it right! Dried salami sells for triple the price of regular salami!
Anyway, here are a few suggested answers to your questions:
1 – the smell is only in the first few days, when the most moisture evaporates. After that, it slows down. To maintain the smell – and keep you in regular supply of dried salami (like if you want one every Shabbos,) you would have to hang up a new one every week. You can divide the two you buy (if you are buying two at a time,) and keep one in the refrigerator for a week before hanging it up. You just have to remember which ones are from when, to know which one is ready.
2 – You might want to not hang them over anything important, like carpeting. Sometimes they drip a little – again, mostly only at first. Or just leave a rag on the floor directly underneath. It is at most only a few drips.
3 – There is no absolute time. It depends on how dry and hot the air is. They typically take around 4 weeks. They are edible at any time. If you like them less hard and dry, eat them after two weeks (sometimes my kids just couldn’t wait any longer than 2 weeks!) I think mine were ideal after 3-4 weeks, and too hard (for me) at 6 weeks. But that might be perfect if you are cutting them thin and small for recipes, like tiny chunks on a salad.
4 – Be warned, that sometimes they just don’t make it. There is always a risk that it could become rotten, moldy, or buggy. No big deal, don’t give up. Just throw it out and try again. If it happens more than rarely, the environment they are hanging in is not ideal – too moist or hot or whatever. Move them elsewhere. When you first hang them up, wipe them off well to remove the external fat and moisture that will spoil faster.I hang mine in my basement, while my aunt hangs hers in her kitchen. She lives alone, whereas my kitchen is often cooking for a large family and is probably too hot for it.
B’teavon!
July 14, 2017 9:36 am at 9:36 am in reply to: Has anyone ever read ‘The Mountain Man’ books by William Johnstone? #1317704yitzykParticipantThanks for the responses! I could assume that ‘selling well’ is typically due to it being an enjoyable book. Maybe a one-shot unknown author could sell a lot of books if the publisher wasted huge amounts of money on marketing. But a series of 50 or more books would not keep selling if they weren’t considered good – at least within some limited audience.
The violence point is a good information.
I have no problem donating them to the library, selling them on eBay, or just recycling them. I asked in the first place because I respect the person who gave them to me, and wanted to at least consider delivering the gift as suggested. I do not however trust their Hashkofa enough to do it without checking first. Furthermore, the giver is a much older person who might not be a good judge of age-appropriateness, and I had no idea which of my children they had in mind.
yitzykParticipantOTOH, an establishment might use the simple truth to mislead consumers. They would claim that there is nothing essentially wrong with their kashrus, it was ‘merely’ a minor dispute. Customers might then mistakenly be lured into eating at an establishment with no hashgacha at all, even if only temporarily.
Then even worse, the hashgachas would lose their only weapon for ‘punishing’ kashrus violations (even serious ones) – the threat of removing certification.
They have to keep all certification removals a purposefully scary event where no one really knows whether to trust the establishment
Maybe. Just theorizing, not justifying.
yitzykParticipantMashgichim often have to ‘work’ on Shabbos and Yom Tov. This of course does not refer to doing any actual ‘Work’ that is a melacha, but merely to supervise.
Specifically, there are areas of kashrus that require the presence of a Jewish mashgiach by every shift, such as milking cows on a dairy farm, and the delivery/pressing of grapes in a winery (up until the point where it is pasteurized and becomes mevushal.)
Even in other areas where the mashgiach must be ‘Yotzi Venechnas’, he must have the possibility to enter for a surprise inspection at any time. Therefore they sometimes stay in a nearby hotel and pop in for a visit on Shabbos too.
yitzykParticipantYes, you are surprised that it arrived at all!
yitzykParticipantYou are sometimes better off buying from US sellers.
When buying button batteries, you can get some from US-based sellers for just a few cents more, and get it within a few days instead of a few weeks.
Some items like memory cards have a very high rate of non-working or less usable space than claimed when bought from china.
Chips or other accessories for which compatibility is tricky and critical.
Anything that you want sooner than 5 weeks!
yitzykParticipantAh – now I understand.
You mean the sellers that have multiple items within one sale, with a drop-down box to select which specific item you want. They sometimes include a dummy item that is cheaper.
Yes, that is definitely search manipulation. No, it is not forbidden, but maybe if enough people complain about it, eBay will change the way that works someday. There is no way to exclude those results. In general, I ignore any results that show the price as a range “$1 – $50”. That means that there are multiple items in that listing.
It is helpful to sometimes select “US Only” as one of the search options. That eliminates virtually all of the trash listings. However, it will also sometimes eliminate the cheapest legitimate options.
yitzykParticipantI just reread the original question, and while I already commented on what I think was meant , the way it is worded sounds like the question is:
“Are you allowed to charge less than everyone else, in order to come in first in a sort by lowest price?”
The answer to that would be YES, of course! As Chazal say – Tavo Alav Beracha!yitzykParticipantZD – The fact that eBay returns results that do not at all seem to fit what you are searching for, has nothing to do with the price manipulation that RebYidd23 asked about. It is something they call Best Match, and it stinks. Amazon also does this, and I hate it there too.
However, unlike Amazon, on eBay there is a simple solution – you can change the results list to “Cheapest” or something else. Then it reverts to exact match only. Best Match is just the default listing order.
On Amazon, if you search by price, you will get tons of garbage listings that do not match at all. Any search other than the ‘Relevence’ sort order is totally useless.
yitzykParticipantI understand what you are asking, and I admit, I have done this myself once or twice. I do not recall ever seeing anything explicitly forbidding it in eBay rules. I had an item that just wasn’t selling at the price I listed it at, for many weeks. Instead of cancelling it and listing it cheaper, I created another identical listing with a lower selling price. Interesting to note – the first item included free shipping, but the second cheaper price did not. The second item sold very soon thereafter, even though the total cost with shipping was higher!!
Technically it is not affecting or manipulating the search results. The search remains unaffected. What it is affecting is the buyer’s perception that one item is cheaper than all of the rest, so it must be a bargain. OTOH, if you would just list the cheaper price, they would not be paying anything more or less anyway. Many of the chinese sellers have multiple listings for the same items, varying the price by just one cent (look at button batteries for example). Their intention here is not price manipulation, but merely to get more ‘shelf space’ in the search results. It is like a cereal company having 40 flavors instead of two, just to hog more retail shelf space.
It is notable that most of eBay’s policies are primarily intended to protect their profits, not the sellers or buyers. So this practice would be very low on their priority to prevent, as long as they are getting their selling fees. In fact, the people doing it are often high-volume sellers, which are eBay’s best customers.
yitzykParticipantCheck out http://www.tenyad.org/shop/
It might answer your question. It is a fundraising page on their website to allow people to ‘buy things’ for a hypothetical Kallah’s package. But the list of items available to ‘buy’ seems to represent an actual list of their actual package.
yitzykParticipantI don’t know anything about Yogurt and it’s manufacturing process, nor do I know what a home yogurt maker would consist of. I assume that the main ingredient of yogurt – milk or some derivative (milk-fat, cream, etc…) is possibly essential to the process, and trying to substitute something else might be one reason for your non-success in the past.
What I do know is that my wife sometimes works for Norman’s Dairy marketing their Greek Yogurts. They are some of the nicest people I know. I have spoken to their food scientists in the past when my wife had questions about the ingredients or manufacturing process. I suggest you reach out to them either through their website contact form, or their facebook page. Helping you with some tips is not really going to hurt their business, so they might be willing to help.
No guarantees but it can’t hurt.
If all you need is a cheerleader, then by all means – “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Of course the double ‘Try, Try’ seems to indicate that another failure might be expected in between…
yitzykParticipantI visited the Anderson Pretzel factory a few years ago, just when the Peanut-butter Filled Pretzels started coming out. I was excited to see this new product and bought some right at the factory in their gift shop. The peanut butter was hard even then and had shrunk to only partially fill the inside.
I like the taste anyway, but it could be that what you are imagining it should be like doesn’t exist.
May 9, 2017 4:18 pm at 4:18 pm in reply to: If Trump becomes president, I'm moving to Canada… #1273060yitzykParticipantSo what’s the bottom line on this? Do we get an update? Did DaasYochid keep his promise and move to Canada?
From the term ‘moving to Canada’ it sounded like he didn’t already live there. Plus if he did, what big difference would it make to him who is president of the USA?
May 8, 2017 12:53 pm at 12:53 pm in reply to: Too much money on transportation technology; not enough money on teleportation! #1271796yitzykParticipantWhy do you assume that I assume?
Was it a Natural Phenomenon? I never said that. It was 100% miraculous and made by G-d, nothing ‘natural’ about that. Though it was probably more of a physical ‘phenomenon’ rather than a purely spiritual one, as per Rashi. Though I never said that either. I just labeled a theoretical non-existent technology using a concept that we are already familiar with.
Rashi describes Kefitzas Haderech as Hashem reducing the distance between the two points (‘folding up the land beneath his feet’) thus allowing the subject to reach his destination quicker. Nothing was done to the traveler, it was the path he took that was shortened. Thus, completely in line with what I described. If technology would allow us to replicate things today that were done thousands of years ago by miracles, would that be denying that they were miracles and claiming that they were ‘natural’? That is what Pharaoh claimed…
and yes, I am a sci-fi fan, though much more when I was younger. This whole thread is about Teleportation, a technology that does not exist, and is therefore purely Science Fiction.
May 8, 2017 11:31 am at 11:31 am in reply to: Too much money on transportation technology; not enough money on teleportation! #1271732yitzykParticipantI can currently imagine two possible (though currently only science fiction) methods for Teleportation, loosely defined as near-instantaneous relocation of matter from one place to another.
Method 1 – shortening the distance between the two places through some method such as a ‘wormhole’ or ‘sub-space doorway’ etc, and then stepping through this doorway. While no such technology exists, I think this is totally within the realm of Torah and belief in Hashem. For simplicity, and to hint at why I think it is compatible with Judaism, we can call this “Kevitzus Haderech”. Sound familiar??
Method 2 – Converting all matter on site A into purely digital or other ‘transmittable’ signals, waves, or particles, then transmitting them to site B and reconstructing them into their original form. I believe that this method is impossible according to Judaism and it’s tenets. Since a human consists of more than just physical particles, but also contains a Neshama (and maybe a Ruach too depending on how you define these terms,) once it is deconstructed, it is dead. It cannot be ‘reconstructed’ by a machine. Also, if that were possible, we would be able to save the electronic ‘digital image’ of the deconstructed person and then replicate it by reconstructing it more than once. We would be able to create people using something like a 3D printer, and call it ‘alive’! Of course, it would still be missing the Ruach and Neshama, so it can’t be alive. That was Frankenstein’s dilemma. You can call this one ‘Yesh MeAyin’!
See lightbrite? someone did think about this!
yitzykParticipantThe ‘stupid’ comment was not solely because he believes that they are a pirate radio station, but because of the overall tone and content of his comment.
As for the ‘hard sell’, I did not make any of this up. My son volunteers for Jroot occasionally doing some technical computer stuff, and has been to their studios many times. The radio broadcast is certainly not physically being done from their studio. No one there ever mentions the radio broadcast, or even admits to knowing who is doing it. Whether or not any of them know who, how, or from where it is being broadcast, they have purposely distanced themselves from that aspect, specifically in order to be totally legal.
You don’t have to ‘buy it’, but you also can’t go accusing Rabbonim of sponsoring piracy or other illegal activity. Certainly not without proof, and possibly not even WITH proof. If you are really so altruistic about legality, you probably can get some documentation from jroot proving that they ARE legal.
Let those who are being hurt by the broadcast take the broadcaster to bais din / court / proper authorities, while we mind our own business.
BTW – I wonder what R’ Chaim Kanievsky would say about the tefillos of a Baal Loshon Horaah, Motzi Shem Rah, or pretty much any poster on any internet message board. Would Ferd be so quick to quote THAT halacha?
Also, I don’t mean any personal animosity towards Ferd or anyone else. I am just providing another opinion from the opposite side for people to consider. My comments are solely in response to the comments here and their precise wording, not to the people writing them.
“Any rebroadcast, retransmission, or account of this comment, without the express written consent of Major League Baseball, is permitted.”
yitzykParticipantThere is no correlation. The baseball games are syndicated and make money by selling the rights to broadcast it. When they say prohibited, they don’t mean by the FCC, but by copyright laws.
Jroot does not need to prohibit people from re-broadcasting because their goals are to provide free Jewish content to the public. They are not being hurt financially when you get their broadcast through other means besides their website or phone app.
yitzykParticipantWhy is YWN allowing anonymous posting? It is a very bad idea that they stopped long ago. Apparently the new website is allowing it again by mistake?
Anyway, an anonymous poster above provided the source for FERD’s statement that “These rabbonim must be aware of the psak that rav Chaim Kanievskey made; If one parks in a handicapped parking space and runs into a shul and davens Shacharis he MUST DAVEN AGAIN! ”
The actual quote said “Such a person, who steals a parking space in order to daven must recite a תפילה נדבה in place of his first tefilla”.
IMHO, that is not quite the same as saying he MUST DAVEN AGAIN.
yitzykParticipantIgnore Ferd’s stupidity. JROOT is not a pirate radio station, nor was it on or off the air. Jroot is a website – Jrootradio.com. It is available on the Web, from their phone app, and through other Jewish Streaming apps such as Jstream. The broadcast does not ever mention any radio station.
Sometime in the past they were also broadcasting on a radio station, and did advertise it as such (hence the origin of their website address), but that was stopped by the FCC. (Not that I CHAS VESHOLOM mean in any way to agree with or confirm anything FERD said.)
Some anonymous person unrelated to Jrootradio.com has been receiving the free stream over the internet, just like everyone else, and then using their own personal equipment to re-broadcast it over the radio waves as a favor to the local community in flatbush (Brooklyn, NY.) No, this has nothing to do with the Rabbonim. There is no reason at all for any Rabbonim to exclude their content from being shared with Klal Yisroel.
Whether this is legal or not has no bearing on Jroot. The same person (or anyone else) could choose to broadcast any other content in a similar fashion.
As to why this is beneficial – there are still some frum people in this world who do not have smart phones and internet-connected computers in their homes, or at least in their kitchens when they are cooking for shabbos. But they do have radios. Once upon a time radios were very cheap and easy to obtain, and if they have a stereo system CD player, or Tape player, it probably has a radio too. Even simple MP3 players (Sansa clip for example) have radios. So with the broadcast they can listen to shiurim or Jewish music in their homes.
I am just trying to explain the facts, defend the Jrootradio people and distance them from any suspicion of wrongdoing. It is not my intention to take sides on the legality of the broadcast.
February 14, 2017 4:57 pm at 4:57 pm in reply to: How to explain tigers to future generations #1216819yitzykParticipantI meet vilde chayos every day. I ride the train with them…
February 13, 2017 5:56 pm at 5:56 pm in reply to: How to explain tigers to future generations #1216816yitzykParticipantDid we forget that in today’s day and age we have photos and videos?
yitzykParticipantThe answer was already provided, like Jeopardy. We were supposed to ask the questions. So the answer would be “There was no brake…”
yitzykParticipantLeben is thinner than yogurt, especially Greek yogurt. I tasted it only once, and it tasted to me like spoiled milk (which is probably not far from the truth.) Nevertheless, my kids love it. They poke a straw right through the foil top and slurp it away in seconds. I don’t think you can drink yogurt with a straw.
I assume it is based on yogurt but just more diluted (possibly with milk).
I don’t think it’s more diluted, just less yogurtized
yitzykParticipantWhat did the fireman say after breaking his leg on the fire-pole?
yitzykParticipantGoogle yielded a few varied results in books:
From a book titled Sefer Yetzireh by Rav Aryeh Kaplan: The seven Sciences – Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Music, Geometry, and Astronomy. Footnote for source not available for free.
From Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics: A Compilation of Jewish Medical Law … By Avraham Steinberg: The medieval scientists listed seven branches of knowledge – Logic, Mathematics, Measurements, Natural Science, Astronomy, Music, and Theology. The footnote claims this is from Rabbenu Bachya on Avos, end of Perek 3, and Maharal Nesivos Olam, Netiv Hatorah, Perek 14.
yitzykParticipantEvery sale automatically includes a ‘warranty’ according to halacha. The fine print on a warranty would only be to exclude the company from being responsible ‘as per our agreement’.
You said that the succah collapsed, but even without any exclusions the company’s responsibility for replacement could depend on the reason for the collapse.
Did the poles fail to support the weight of the walls and/or the schach? Were they assembled correctly? Or was there an abnormal wind that they might not be accountable for?
August 25, 2016 5:09 pm at 5:09 pm in reply to: Encouraging a Food Manafacturer to Change Hechsheirim #1170793yitzykParticipantNothing has changed, it is all still applicable.
Consider it a mussar lesson for Loshon Horah – the damage will still continue by being discussed years later.
August 25, 2016 4:58 pm at 4:58 pm in reply to: heart failure is linked to lack of excersise #1170825yitzykParticipantIt is true. People who have heart failure tend to stop exercising. They might also stop breathing and other common activities….
yitzykParticipantI actually was on a tour of the Postive factory a few years agi with Rabbi Wickler of Kashrus Magazine. We were also treated to classes on bug checking and infestations.
After that, it is a no-brainer. I ONLY use Postiv (or a few other rare Greenhouse products.) I don’t use those other brands at all, based on what I learned.
Without saying any LH about what is wrong with other products, I can tell you that Postive has some major advantages:
– They are grown in a sealed greenhouse completely isolated from the ground soil, so bugs cannot get in. Even in the greenhouse, they spot check the produce while it is still growing.
– They check every batch once it arrives at the factory BEFORE washing it
– They wash it in a process that is VASTLY superior to most other companies for certain reasons that they might not want divulged
– They check EVERY SINGLE ounce of product before bagging it. Yes, that is correct – they don’t just spot check! They have a method wherby they check everything.
There are some bugs (mites) that are so small that once they infest lettuce, they are difficult to spot even using a lightbox. Non-greenhouse lettuce just cannot be guaranteed clean, even with all of the ‘washing’ and spot checks that other companies do.
yitzykParticipantIt depends on the giver and the recipient. A very wealthy person can give a set of seforim, while a person of lesser means can give an individual but still meaningful sefer. Seforim are less appropriate coming from a person who never looks at them, or going to a boy who will never look at them. Coming from a chosuvah talmid chochom, it is seen as a personal recommendation and endorsement for the bar mitzvah boy to read that particular sefer.
If you feel that the bochur will use the sefer, (even if not for a few years) a sefer is a good idea. If he is a lamdun, a less common but still heard of sefer is okay. If he is less knowledgable, more modern, or non-scholarly, an English sefer or even a book might be more useful. Some ideas might include:
– Rabbi Ribiat’s 39 Melochos 4-volume set (useful but not cheap)
– Rabbi Bodner’s Brochos Guide
– Any new Biography
– Amazing Facts (book 4? just came out)
– Artscroll Rashi (small, medium, large)
– Artscroll Shas (just kidding)
– Many new seforim and books come out every month. Anything that ‘just came out’ is safe to assume that he does not have it yet.
I am sure that any decent seforim store can assess you and your description of the recipient, and make a few recommendations.
Of course the bottom line is, anything you give ought to be appreciated, and it doesn’t matter that much what you give.
yitzykParticipantNo, frum people still have the same attitude. That is, some have them, and some don’t. Some are vehemently against them. And some just like to argue about it.
The only new thing is that now we discuss it on message boards instead of in the mikvah…
yitzykParticipantBored_on_the_Job – Yes, absolutely there are parents that make outrageous demands, and the administration gives in. Occasionally it could also be a decision on the side of the administration, that they falsly blame on ‘other parents’ just to cover themselves.
I have a neighbor that is/was an administrator in a Yeshiva. He told me about one family with a few boys that entered the Yeshiva after moving here from Eretz Yisroel that had to enroll using their mother’s maiden name, because their real last name was a very Sephardi-sounding name, and the administration could not risk an outrage from the other parents!!
yitzykParticipantRidiculous. Nowhere did it say who the speech was being given too. I am assuming that it was to no one important. Nice speech, but not going to have any affect. Those that can change it don’t want to, and those that agree with Rechnitz are not in any position to change it. If he weren’t so rich, maybe they would put him in cheirim, if anything at all.
One thing that supports my opinion – I was amused, annoyed, and amazed when at one moment in middle of the speech suddenly everyone clapped. I didn’t understand what they were clapping about, as he had not gotten to any important points yet. I backed up to listen again, and it turns out that it was when he said “I give money to support Lakewood Mosdos.” So it wasn’t his message that they were agreeing with, it was his money.
January 26, 2016 1:07 am at 1:07 am in reply to: No, you don't own the parking spot you dug out for the next two weeks #1133988yitzykParticipantMaybe instead of paying someone to dig out your car just to go to the grocery store, thereby losing your parking spot, you should have paid someone to go to the grocery store for you.
Maybe then you would own the grocery store for three days? Or at least the path from your house to the store? Just because you paid someone for it…
yitzykParticipant“V’Ain Atah Ben Chorin L’Hebatail Meemenah” – meaning we are all not free because we have to learn.
OTOH – “Ain Ben Chorin Elah Mi SheAsuk BaTorah” – only if you learn are you free.
yitzykParticipantI don’t know much about it, but I have heard that there are many kollel people in Lakewood and Flatbush that make extra money by selling stuff on Amazon. You can’t do it properly without learning how, so don’t just jump in and try it out before someone teaches you. But I think it works something like this:
Every item for sale on Amazon has a seller rating, which indicates how popular it is and how quickly/guaranteed it is to get sold if you tried to sell one.
These entrepreneurs look for very hot selling items. Then they look to see if they can buy it elsewhere any cheaper, such as on sale in Best Buy or Staples, or with a coupon, etc… Sometimes they even pay the same price, but use Credit Cards or ebates or other reward programs that earn them money or mileage for each purchase.
They sometimes might have the item delivered straight to Amazon’s warehouse from the place they bought it from.
I think one of my neighbors is doing this, because he frequently gets UPS deliveries AND pickups of a lot of large boxes.
Items might be toys, computers, or almost anything.
Hatzlocha!
BTW – App Development is a good legitimate business, but it probably requires certain skills. It might not be for just anyone.
January 25, 2016 5:08 pm at 5:08 pm in reply to: No, you don't own the parking spot you dug out for the next two weeks #1133981yitzykParticipantWas this well-respected posek paskening l’halacha that it belonged to him? Isn’t he a Nogeia Badavar?
He might have made a Chazaka, but as every not-so-well known posek knows, Kol Chazaka Sheain Imo Teineh, Aino Chazaka. He would first have to had purchased the parking spot from the city or township, and then made his improvement.
He could however claim ownership to all of the hefker snow that he moved, with a kinyan hagbaha. Of course, he might not want to admit that, because he might be a mazik if he piled it up in front of someone else’s parking spot or driveway.
yitzykParticipantThanks Joseph – exactly.
Plus, the driver surely knew that he was audaciously parking illegaly, and that I was suspiciously examining at the method he used. He was likely just afraid of getting busted so he acted self-rightously angry.
I also have the right to be angry at these guys that prevent the street from being cleaned, or occupy parking spots for more than the legal time limit of one hour or whatever.
yitzykParticipantChanging slightly to a very related topic, I have been very anxious to discuss but never had the right opportunity. This bumped thread is perfect.
I have seen a few cars (mainly in Kensington, but that was just because I worked there and that’s where I was during the daytime,) displaying a book on their dashboard with the symbol of the NYPD. The book 100% saved them from getting parking tickets. So much so, that they took advantage of it by parking on the wrong side by alternate-side parking, and parking all day in metered spots without ever buying a single muni-meter receipt. I don’t know if it would also allow them to commit worse crimes, like parking at a hydrant, no standing, or bus-stop.
As far as I can tell, these soft-covered books are training manuals for the traffic cops, who are not really Police Officers. (Unlike policemen that go through Police Academy for a long time, the Traffic Cops are civilians that just take a short course and immediately are authorized to issue tickets. Although they drive cars that look like police cars, and wear similar uniforms, they are what used to be called “Brownies” and basically just there to give parking tickets and nothing else.)
I don’t know how to get these books, but it looks like a simple thing to fake. It is just a plain white paper book, 8-1/2 X 11, with the symbol of the NYPD and a title. I have seen the symbol in both color and black-and-white, on both spiral-bound and glued books.
I pictures of some them, though I don’t know where they are right now. One of the drivers once came out of a store and saw me looking at his book (through the windshield, without touching his car) while he was parked illegally, and got really angry at me. With that attitude, I figure he must be related to a cop, if not one himself!
yitzykParticipantNow someone might say something silly like – I know 12 people that are so ehrlich that they daven a 45 minute shemone esrei, never removing their noses from the siddur. They sometimes use phones and still do the same thing – they only daven from the phone and nothing else.
Yes, it could be used correctly by some people. But the general population and especially younger people are not so trained in kavana by davening and are not so resistant to the Yetzer Hora, so most of them won’t be able to do it this way.
Like everything else in this world, it can be used for good or bad. It is not all good or all bad. But to the untrained hand, it is more likely to end up bad. If a safer, more reliable alternative like a Siddur is available, why not choose that?
This is much like the whole Internet controversy, whether to totally ban it, use it for good, or continue to use it unfiltered, refusing to see any possibilty of problems.
New Slogan (feel free to steal it):
Choose the SEFER – it is SAFER!!
yitzykParticipantIMHO – there are many factors that may sway the advised halacha or haskafa in each specific situation.
Yes, I can clearly see that there are situations where a smartphone/ipad/e-reader might be much better than a regular siddur. Some examples that have been suggested above:
– someone with poor eyesight that can use the app to greatly enarge the text
– when you need to say a special tefilla and don’t have access to a printed text, or even regular davening,
– a newly frum person that does not have instructions on what to say when, can use certain apps that automatically insert or delete appropriately on special days.
– maybe even in the dark
That having been said, I strongly believe that whenever possible a person should NOT substitute a smartphone for a siddur. Besides that the Mishna Berurah discusses the preference for a siddur that is printed by Yerei Shomaim over one made by goyim, there is a much more practical issue – I have witnessed with great disgust numerous occasions where people using smartphones in shul instead of siddurim did things that no frum person should ever do. It comes from holding the yetzer hora right in your hands during davening:
– I hope that no frum person would pull out a newspaper and start reading it in shiul, just because he finished shemone esrei earler than everyone else. Yet I have seen too many people on phones do exactly that by looking at the news. Even if they are only looking at YWN, it is not any better in this context.
– No normal person would set up a desktop or laptop computer on the table in plain view of everyone in shul, and start browsing dell.com to shop for the latest computers. Yet I have seen a person do precisely that in middle of davening.
– It is inappropriate anytime, anywhere in shul to look at youtube videos, yet I have seen people looking and even showing their neighbors videos, whether in middle of davening, laining, or not.
– Some (rare) siddur apps block incoming texts and phone calls. But most don’t. I don’t think that I have to explain how I have seen people reading and responding to texts, and answering phone calls IN MIDDLE OF SHEMONE ESREI!!!! I am not even referring to those idiots that don’t have their sound turned off.
– I have seen people play games on phones in shul, in middle of davening, speeches, or just in shul at all.
All of these show an extreme lack of even the smallest iota of yiras shomayim and kovod for the tefila and bais hakneses. Boruch Hashem I still feel that it bothers me. To too many people, this has become so common that they no longer even see what is wrong with it. This is affecting the younger generation ever worse. Once the older people tolerate it, the younger people take it for granted that it is ok.
To put it very simply – an interview with the King of All Kings, Supreme Ruler of the entire world, is not a trivial thing. It requires preparation, respect, and your full attention. Your phone is a big distraction at best, and a should be turned off and put away. Show Hashem that you care enough to give him a few minutes of your time and attention!!
December 15, 2015 5:12 pm at 5:12 pm in reply to: Buying returned food equipment or utensils #1116455yitzykParticipantAlthough B’dieved we can rely on Pogum after 24 hours, we don’t rely on it Lekatchila. So if you know for sure that an item is refurbished, or the box and packaging looks like it was previously opened and resealed, and especially if you see food specs and other obvious signs that the item was used and returned, you should not buy it and return it if you already did.
Just my opinion, which everyone is entitled to. I am not a kashrus rabbi.
yitzykParticipantI don’t mean anyone specifically in this thread, and I don’t know if it qualifies as being a Jerk specifically, but I see it all the time and it bothers me. People come consistenly late to shul, spend precious few minutes actually davening, and then rush out before it is anywhere near over.
There is someone at my minyan that comes at the same time every day, 7:05 to a 6:45 AM shachris, and he is gone by 7:20. It probably takes him the whole 15 minutes only because he is learning daf yomi while he is davening.
Meanwhile I come early and have to struggle to have enough time to say everything (with at least minimal Kavanah) along with the minyan. I usually stay long after the minyan ends sat 7:30. And yes, I work for a living and have a family.
I get the most upset when I see people flaunting the Kovod of the tzibbur and minyan publically. Just this past Shemini Atzeres, our minyan started davening (Brochos) at 8:00. Someone walked in the shul at 8:55 carrying a coffee in one hand and his tallis under his arm. Even though we were already past Borchu, He proceeded to talk to people right in middle of the shul. At 9:25, as we were saying Hallel, he was still standing there wearing his Streimel, not yet even putting on the tallis. He showed no interest in what was going on around him.
Interestingly, this same person, when he davens by the Amud, takes three times longer than any normal person can stand, streching out every word unnecessarily and singing ling songs between each sentence. Maybe he has a different sense of time.
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