If the number of comments received reflects the number of eyeballs reading these Blast e-mails, then

the shorter ones indeed were more often read; this will, I hope, serve as an object lessonas efforts are
constantly made to strip-down these notifications to the bare-minimum [despite the plethora of infosites]. One individual conveyed a sobering Christmas Thought *The more we set our sights on happiness
via public policy, the more we are disappointed; we cannot find fulfillment through legislation+, but it
remains necessary to slog-on.
Perhaps it is the Holiday Spirit that prompted press-coverage of the anti-Semitic
graffiti which my patient had reported [Yardley group denounces anti-Semitic graffiti;
'HEARTBREAKING' Community surrounds victims of Lower Makefield hate crime with
love and support; Community protests potential hate crime on Lower Makefield family].
In this regard, my patient just remitted a communication he just received in response to
the Heartbreaking article:
Your article resonated with me given a similar experience I had many
years ago. Below is a comment that briefly describes what happened to
me. I posted it on the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Facebook page that shared your article.
I would like to share this comment directly with the Raker's in the hopes
that it will promote healing from their experience.
I am requesting if you would share this comment with the Raker's.
While I am presuming you have their contact information and that my
comment may be welcomed by them, I thought using you as an
intermediary would provide them a sense of additional security. As
well, I am not prepared at this time to post my comment on the Bucks
Local News website.
Again, thank you for covering this story. I firmly believe that your
coverage and the decision of the editorial board to publish the story
makes an incalculable positive impact on the family's and community's
healing process and supports a peaceful and pluralistic society.
Best regards,
Halloween 1978 I woke up with a black swastika spray
painted at the front entrance of the row home where I
lived in Morrell Park. A fishing weight broke our window
in our second floor living room and 'Fuck You Jews' was
also spray painted on our garage door. I was five years
old. This event was the culmination of about a year of
harassment from a group of teenagers living in the
neighborhood including our immediate neighbor. We
shared a wall for goodness sake. My sister played with
the younger sister of one of our tormentors. No matter.
My parents tell me the cops nor the parents of these
teenage kids did anything about the phony phone calls

in the middle of the night, other instances of broken

windows, throwing stones at me and my sisters as we
rode our big wheels, constant verbal abuse, the
vandalism, and more. There was at least one other
visible minority living on our block. We were singled
out. No one did anything to make it stop, let alone mete
out any form of justice. We moved by the end of the
summer to another NE Philly neighborhood and never
looked back.
We had great neighbors and lived in peace. I love Philly. I believe the
community support the Raker's received does make a major difference.
It shines a light in a dark corner of society. It says to those who
perpetrated this act it will not be tolerated. It encourages who know
who did it to tell their story. It may even make the perpetrator(s) feel
remorse or even confess. And, perhaps most importantly, it
demonstrates to the Raker's people care about what happened to them
and promotes healing. It took me years to realize that in all likelihood in
my experience the kids were just punks using religion as an additional
weapon to cause pain rather than from deep seated hate of the Jewish
people. I know that my healing would have been a lot faster if people
spoke out against it. My family and I would not have been alone to
suffer. I am heartened that there are signs of change.

Over the weekend, I was in NYC *the worlds culture-capital], where one had to stand in line to enter
stores and ambling-pedestrians almost completely blocked 5th Avenue. The non-stop 48-hours included
wandering through the MoMA *thankfully, before the crush of Free Friday crowds starting @4 p.m.+,
dining @ the [restored] Russian Tea Room, dropping-in on the NY Public Library [to the east of a
cleaned-up Bryant Park], watching Kinky Boots [the first act was expendable, while the second act was
pure-Broadway], and visiting the Cloisters briefly [renewing acquaintance with the Mets overflow of
Renaissance Religiosity @ this gem @ the northern-tip of Manhattan].
TKTS is on-line and that one should not rely upon the NY-Times prcis for a complete list
of alternatives; many people used a portable-app. The discounts @ Duffy Square are not

always 50%; the Kinky Boots tix were 30%-offyielding a packed-house; sales started
@3, I was in-line by 2:30 and gone by 3:30. Most people ignored the handouts provided
while awaiting purchases, which were handled professionally and briskly.
Upon return, The Imitation Game *about the Turing Machine+ was felt to be stellar; it detailed
the origin of the computer and did far more for the desire to mainstream the gay-movement
than did the glitz of Cyndi Lauper [although some might argue they were flipsides of the same
argument, namely, that the LGBTQ culture should be honored rather than shunned]; well-acted,
it used flashbacks judiciously/cogently and contained surprise-insights throughout.
A comment about an ominous article [Toll lanes to keep driver data for 90 days] noted
that video monitors speeders and high occupancy vehicle lane scofflaws; it was noted
that E-ZPasses, the transponders used to pay the toll fees, will not be suspended for
speeding. Yet, a comment was reminiscent of precisely the thought I raised last week
*Does ANYONE doubt that, sooner or later, this system will be used to monitor speed
and automatically issue tickets and fines?+.
In the rush of catching-up on the mail, I inadvertently grabbed my sons The Atlantic Magazine and
reminded myself why the lib-press merits scorn; even a glib-essay [You're Just Like Me!] dripped with
superficiality. The major-piece [The American public and its political leadership will do anything for the
military except take it seriously; the result is a chickenhawk nation in which careless spending and
strategic folly combine to lure America into endless wars it cant win] failed to address the obvious
manifestations of the Dems negative-predictions related both to Vietnam [Cooper-Church] and Iraq
[precipitous withdrawal]; thus, failures of the military were not truly ascribable to the Pentagon and,
even now, morale has been [purposefully] decimated by a pacifist-POTUS.
Another highlighted piece [An American-Iranian dtente is in both countries interest
but it neednt upset our special relationship with Israel] conveyed a highly-dismissive
disdain for Israel *Whatever the eventual outcome of the long-running negotiations
over Irans nuclear program, Israeli interests cannot impede a warming of relations
between Iran and the United States in the coming years, under either this president or
the next+; this was illustrated by the fact that the word bomb doesnt appear and the
aforementioned-quote was the only one that even used the word nuclear. *Note
other manifestations of BHOs mindset (Obama doesn't rule out US embassy in Tehran)
and of his sycophants (Iran Can Be 'Very Successful Regional Power').]
Finally, The Atlantic Magazine included a hit-piece is provided regarding RedStates Erick Erickson *Is
the Most Powerful Conservative in America Losing His Edge?] that not-very-subtly reflects poorly on
other Conservatives.
Regarding the Media, it seems the NY-Times has determined that most occupants of the
HOT SEAT IN 2015 will be libs [Griffin, Turness, Anyone Running a Movie Studio]; in stark
contrast, 2014, According to the Drudge Report, was replete with useful data to those
with a Conservative mindset.
After AG-Kane filed for divorce, I amplified comments on PoliticsPA [Kanes Racial Claims A Complete
Lie] thusly {punctuated by the predictable attack c/o DD}: One must now wonder if her husband is
voting with his feet, a side-effect of perceptions of the news; the timing is uncanny, for one would

think she would view enlisting his support as a priority were any possibility extant that it could be
obtained.,DD: If we were voting with our feet, it would be to kick you in the @ss for your insensitive
comments and insinuations about Kane and her marriage. Shes going through a tough time in her
personal life, and you cant help being a jerk. No surprise.-.My point was sorely political; the timing is
uncanny, you must agree, noting the Absence of support from anyone else (of import, which excludes
you, of course).*I had typed purely but the puter changed it to sorely; I suppose both are apt, in
different ways.]
Predictably, the GOP DREW LINES AS WOLF FOCUSED ON HUGE DEFICIT; this serves to
illustrate why the lame-duck legislature should try to enact maximally before Corbett
departs. Also, know that the GAS TAX TO ADD 10 CENTS PER GALLON STARTING
THURSDAY.
The Bleacher-Report is issued daily, year-round, and the end of the *Iggles+ season prompts extensive
excerpting therefrom; the bitter-sweet effect of the fact that Iggles won the season finale over Giants
34-26 is that they will draft #20 instead of #15. There were justifiably-historic positives *Cody Parkey
makes Eagles and NFL history], seemingly-justifiable possibilities *Boykin Less Than Thrilled About
Returning as Part-Timer], thinly-veiled pleas *Trent Cole wants to be an Eagle for life], mercifullysuppressed protestations *Cary doesn't care if the Eagles bring him back], and promptly-quashed
premonitions *Rex Ryan to Philly as D-coordinator isn't happening]. And no analysis would be
complete with a requisite QB-controversy [Lurie noncommittal about Nick Foles & Foles Expects to Be
the Starter in 2015 & Sanchez Not Ready to Talk About Possibility of Leaving].
Maclin received Bleacher Report's 2014 NFL Award for Comeback Player of the Year;
after having recognized the Biggest Takeaways from Eagles 2014 Season, note the
teams the Eagles will play in 2015. The final NFL Power Rankings placed the
Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) @ #11 and outside the playoffs, but that won't affect their
ranking here. If all was right in the universe, the Eagles would be in the postseason over
the Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) but, until the NFL decides to reward season winners and
not division winners, this is what we're stuck with. There may be some fans
disappointed with the non-playoff year but, given the talent level of this team, 2014
was a good year in Philadelphia. Chip Kelly showed that he's still a top-level coach in
only his second season and the roster is in good shape to be turned over for the
needed additions. If Kelly can solve the quarterback question this offseason (through
acquisition or development), the Eagles could be Super Bowl-worthy very soon.
Reviews of the meaningless victory over the Giants game were predictable [Winners & Losers; 10 final
thoughts; 5 Good Things and 5 Bad; and Eagles offensive line finished on a high note]; it ended with
Jordan Matthews and Beckham Jr. exchanging jerseys and focus on Candidates to Start at CB for Eagles
in 2015.
Full Game Grades for Eagles vs. Giants seemed reasonable except for the D+ awarded
to the defensive line. *Like the offensive line, the defensive line didnt stand out,
especially considering the New York Giants have a below-average unit protecting Eli
Manning. Fletcher Cox led all defensive linemen with seven tackles. Bennie Logan had
six, including a big three-yard stuff early in the game. Cedric Thornton had a tackle for a
loss of his own. The unit combined to allow just 76 rushing yards on 25 carries, holding

Andre Williams and Rashad Jennings to just a 3.0 yards-per-carry average. The pair did
combine for one touchdown. The fact that Manning wasnt sacked is disappointing.+
A feature article [How to Interview a Head Coach Candidate] composed by a National Lead Writer
highlighted [including two photos+ Chip Kelly. *If the applicant is Chip Kelly 2013 or some other ultracoveted candidate, an interview might include such hard-hitting questions as "How do you like your surf
'n turf?"+ It also cited the defunct Bulletin:
Many coaches like to claim that they get their players to "shut out the outside world and
focus on football" the moment everyone sets foot inside team headquarters. These
coaches get that idea from their mentors, who got it from their mentors, who got it
from Mike Ditka, who got it from Tom Landry, who got it from coaches from an era
when "shutting out the outside world" meant not reading the Philadelphia Evening
Bulletin or listening to George Burns and Gracie Allen on the radio.
Despite the fact that PSU EDGED BC ON GAME-WINNING EXTRA POINT IN OT TO WIN THE PINSTRIPE
BOWL, the Sandusky scandal continues to cast a long shadow at Penn State University.