Happy Hanukkah

This card remembers our dear pets of Odie and a Elliot.

Click here and on title!

Intelligence & Sex

The following letter is from The (Btitish)Sunday Times December 14, 2008. It is NOT from me, and does NOT represent my views on sexual activity. What I CAN identify with, is in color. The annonymous writer was responding to the article"Dealing with disability, but not passing it on."
AS A young adult with Asperger syndrome capable of working and living independently, I have a unique viewpoint on the arguments of Minette Marrin (Parents of a Down’s child must make painful choices, Comment, November 30) and India Knight (You forgot about love, Minette, News Review, last week), particularly in regard to sexual desirability. I am proud of my above-average intelligence and believe that we have untold riches to offer society, but the jobs we get are symptomatic of the “economic bullying” to which we are increasingly subjected in a world obsessed with charm.
I serenely accept celibacy as my lot for two reasons: firstly, since we are individually incapable of intuitive understandings with other people, I believe it would be wrong to engage in a sexual relationship, and disapprove of anything resembling dating circles for those like us; and secondly, with the difficulties we face worsening rather than improving, I cannot contemplate bringing another “Aspie” into the world.
Please click on the title to this posting.

Dog Park!

LAKE MARY -- City commissioners voted unanimously Thursday night to set up the city's first ever dog park.
The park would be located in the south section of Liberty Park, and dogs would be able to run off-leash.
Money Magazine ranks Lake Mary as the fourth best small city to live in. Residents believe a dog park could lift it to first.
"This is absolutely pristine because you can walk your dog to the park,” said Pat Blake, a dog owner. “Not only are u getting exercise, but your dog is going to get exercise."
"It's one of those things we can point to, and realtors can point to, as one of the enhancements of why Lake Mary, why should you move to Lake Mary,” said Darrel Jarvis from Trailblazers. “We have those facilities. Including in that, ‘Oh by the way, do you have a dog? We have an off-leash dog park you can use.’"
A charitable organization known as the Trailblazers is spearheading the effort to raise money to open the park.
The dog park is expected to cost around $70,000.
There is no word yet on when the park will open.

VOICES OF AUTISM: THE HEALING COMPANION: STORIES FOR COURAGE, COMFORT AND STRENGTH. 243p. (Voices of Series). photos. LaChance 2008. pap. $16.95. ISBN 978-1934184-05-9. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–This is a rich collection of essays not only by those who have been diagnosed with conditions along the autism spectrum, but also by their parents, siblings, teachers, caregivers, and doctors as well. In
“An Aspie’s Guide to Everyone Else,” a teen who has Asperger’s syndrome attempts to explain the differences between him and those he calls “neurotypicals” or “NTs.”
Another boy opens “The Price of Talk” with these words: “My name is Michael. I am 14, and I have autism. Some say that I am nonverbal, but I can communicate…. Not being able to talk is very frustrating. My mind knows what I want to say but my lips, tongue, and breath can’t make it happen.” In “My Special Brothers,” a 13-year-old girl writes, “I think it is the coolest thing to have brothers with autism. Anyone can learn a lot from them; I have.” In “The Reward,” a parent with autistic twins says, “…I learned that until you are confronted with severely life-changing situations, you can never know the extent of your capacity to love.” For teens whose lives have been touched by this baffling condition, and even for those who just want to better understand it, this book is an invaluable resource.–Pat Bangs, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Cemetery

My Parents died on 9/19/02 and 12/1/08. I have only been at the grave sites on 9/23/02 & 12/3/08 near Delray Beach, where they lived. Both were Great-Grandparents. Click here.
Click on all photos to enlarge. Then further enlargement is possible! These are the only two burials I have ever attended. All of my Aunts and Uncles have died. Two of my cousins have died. My beloved dog of 17 years died 6/3/04. I divorced on 5/9/03.
"Its been a long time since I rock and rolled. Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back. Its been a long time, been a long time, Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time. I cant count the tears of a life with no love. Carry me back, carry me back, Carry me back, baby, where I come from. Its been a long time, been a long time, Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time. Its been a long time, been a long time, Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time." - Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin, 1970's. The highlighted above, is my epitaph.

Dog & Moose

Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers What Ive got youve got to get it put it in you What Ive got youve got to get it put it in you What Ive got youve got to get it put it in you Reeling with the feeling dont stop continue Give it away give it away give it away now

Bert Lerner (1915 - 2008)

My Father, and my greatest economic benefactor, died today in Lady Lake Florida. He was 93.5. At left, is a picture of him in his fifties. I am now 50. A quote to remember him by is: "Son of Bitch Bastard". Barack Obama has announced Hillary Rodam Clinton to be Secretary of State. Today marks a new era for my life, and a great new hopeful positive era for the world.

Video Repair

Click on this and every image for easier viewing.
Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers
What Ive got youve got to get it put it in you
What Ive got youve got to get it put it in you
What Ive got youve got to get it put it in you
Reeling with the feeling dont stop continue
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now...
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now...

Three years @ employer

REW = Recycled Water

What is your reaction? I would like to know. Please click on the picture for a larger image.
Posted 6/22/08

Bert's Chocolate Lab

Home of the Labradoodle.


This is my latest original design. It is a picture of one of four original T-shirts that I have produced so far.

Circuit City

On November 3, 2008 it was revealed that Circuit City would close 155 stores and lay off 17% of its workforce by the end of the year as a result of continually struggling to remain profitable.[5]

On November 7, 2008 Circuit City laid off between 500 and 800 corporate employees from their Richmond, Virginia headquarters. The approximately 1000 remaining corporate employees would all be consolidated into one building in an effort to further reduce cost and improve profitability.[6] On November 10, 2008 Circuit City filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.[7]

On November 3, 2008, Circuit City announced that it was planning to close 155 stores, including withdrawing completely from the Phoenix, Kansas City and Atlanta retail markets, in a continuing attempt to rally falling stock value and halt heavy financial losses.

A week later, on November 10, 2008, it announced it would file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection which led to a dramatic plummet and halt in trading of the retailer's stock ending it's landslide at .02 cents per share at about 10:00 am est[26].

In Bankruptcy court, Circuit City was approved to borrow $1.6 billion to finance operations while it restructures. The courts revealed that the company had assets of $3.4 billion and debt of $2.32 billion [27], including a $119 million debt to Hewlett-Packard, and a $116 million debt to Samsung Electronics [28].

Dog breeds for Obama

The following new breeds are now recognized by the AKC:
Collie + Lhasa Apso
Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport.
Spitz + Chow Chow
Spitz-Chow, a dog that throws up a lot.
Pointer + Setter
Poinsetter, a traditional Holiday pet.
Great Pyrenees + Dachshund
Pyradachs, a puzzling breed.
Pekingese + Lhasa Apso
Peekasso, a Cubist dog.
Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel
Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean - and manly, too!
Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever
Lab Coat Retriever, the E.R. mascot.
Newfoundland + Basset Hound
Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors.
Terrier + Bulldog
Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes.
Bloodhound + Labrador
Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly.
Malamute + Pointer
Moot Point, owned by...oh well, it doesn't matter anyway....
Collie + Malamute
Commute, a dog that travels to work.
Deerhound + Terrier
Derriere, a dog that's true to the end.
Bull Terrier + Shitzu
Bull Shitzu, a gregarious but unreliable breed.
Poodle + Maltese
Malted Poodles, good after dinner or on a Sunday afternoon
Cocker Spaniel + Maltese
Cock-teses, well ...

The New United States of America

Return of the Democrats

President, Senate, & Congress

We are in the Promised Land

Yes We Can, Are, & Will

United States is re-born

Liberal Democratic rule

America Strikes Back

Republicans replaced

The U. S. A. returns

A Dream Fulfilled

Jonesers rule

A New Hope

Back in Blue

FINALLY!

How this happened
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 1:02 AM
From: "Barack Obama" Barack@barackobama.com
To: "Andrew Lerner" lernerandrew@yahoo.com

Andrew --

I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack

Friends @ employment

Michael's new puppy

For Aspies, joy is elusive.

October 13, 2008 (Computerworld) The column I wrote last week, titled "Asperger's Oxymoron," offended some readers because of my contention that the contributions that Aspies can make to society are necessarily undermined by the degree to which they are withdrawn from society. My belief that isolation is detrimental to the human spirit and to the advancement of the human race isn't a particularly popular notion.

There are many dimensions to isolation. One that seems to be particularly common among Aspies is a detachment from social norms that, rather than manifesting itself as endearing nonconformity, tends to be more of an oblivious self-centeredness. The focus is inward, rather than outward. Take Richard Stallman.

I mentioned last week that Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, had referred to himself in a 2000 interview as being "borderline autistic." While he shied away from that assessment in my interview with him in July, Stallman did acknowledge that he suspected he had a "shadow" form of Asperger's.

I knew very little about the disorder at the time, but it did strike me that he appeared to be somewhat eccentric and glaringly devoid of social grace. I thought it was cool that he felt comfortable enough to meet me in his stocking feet, so that was fine. But during the course of the interview, there was an inescapable rudeness. Just little things. It's no big deal, for example, that throughout a meeting that lasted nearly two hours, he sipped from a large mug but never offered me so much as a drink of water. It's just that it clearly demonstrates an inward rather than an outward focus.

The interview, and extensive subsequent e-mail correspondence with Stallman, reinforced a conclusion I'd drawn from a 2002 biography I'd read to prepare for our discussion: Stallman is not a happy person. There was a certain melancholy that I've since observed in other people who identify themselves as Aspies. In fact, I've observed through my untrained eye that Aspies can be content in a certain environment, but real happiness seems to elude them. Is that conclusion off-base?

For a reality check, I e-mailed Barbara Bissonnette, principal at Forward Motion Coaching in West Boylston, Mass. She provides career counseling for adults with Asperger's.

"I wouldn't say they are inherently unhappy people," Bissonnette replied. "Most have had lifetimes of not fitting in, being ostracized/marginalized and hearing about everything they do 'wrong.' ... The fact that it's a hidden disability compounds the problem because people don't realize that some of the unusual behaviors of an Aspie are not intended to be rude."

That the rudeness may not be intentional doesn't make it any less off-putting. I recently received an e-mail from Roy Brander in Calgary, Alberta, who wrote that when he was president of the Calgary Unix Users Group, he invited Stallman to speak. Stallman agreed and asked to stay at a member's home rather than at a hotel.

With an estimated 40% of the world's information now residing behind a firewall, employee productivity is driven by the ability to quickly find key information no matter where it's stored across your organization. At Google, we believe in a simple premise: all of the information you need to be productive at work should be available through one search box, giving users real-time access to content across the enterprise and delivering a single, integrated, secure set of search results. "The guy who hosted him vowed, 'Never again,' " Brander wrote, adding that it's impossible to spend time with Stallman "and not think 'Asperger's syndrome.' " He noted that while Stallman's legendary inflexibility can be forgiven because it "may have hard-wired neurological roots," his intransigence is marginalizing him within the free software movement.

I'm now convinced that Stallman has far more than a "shadow" form of Asperger's. I'm also convinced that his relentless free software advocacy is driven by a personal distaste for proprietary software, rather than by any interest in advancing the well-being of others. Hence Stallman's joyless demeanor.

Whether or not the elusiveness of joy among Aspies is inherent, it remains painfully apparent. What brings true happiness is serving and uplifting other people -- looking outward rather than inward. Aspies deserve that happiness, and they should receive whatever assistance is needed to bring it about.

Don Tennant is editorial director of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Contact him at don_tennant@computerworld.com, and visit his blog at http://blogs.computerworld.com/tennant.

Hillary & Obama in Orl&O FL!

Republican COlin POwell endOrses Barack Obama!

AP - Florida kicked off early voting on Monday, with record crowds heading to the polls and voters waiting hours to cast their ballots.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/andrewlerner

Cartoons

Up to 5769 ה'תשס"ט

Today is the most important day of the year. It is a day we reflect on the year that has just past. I will also reflect on my new era of these past 3.75 years. I am still being born, and discovering life. I finally have a home, a community, financial security, stability, consistency, and peace. I have not only discovered what a vacation means, but am experiencing a permanent one.

I have discovered the delight and relaxation of swimming, floating on my back, and looking up at the palm trees, clouds, and sunny blue sky. I have discovered that I can float on the water and breath, without moving my limbs! With my first goggles, I can see underwater! With wax, I can keep water out of my ears! Swimming is so soothing, yet invigorating! It is a great remedy to the excruciating stress at work!

After years, for the past six weeks, I have finally forced myself, and discovered that I can have the built-in pool all to myself every Monday and Tuesday late morning or noon! I am so glad I have been getting this exercise on two of my days off every week for at least the past six weeks! I found, and played with a cute frog the other week! It is amazing that it can do everything a frog can do, even though it was only the size of my thumbnail! I suppose it could live off the dead mosquitoes on the water surface. Then perhaps it would be eaten by a bird etcetera. The pool area is a pleasure since new stone flooring was put down on the cabana, veranda, spa, and pool-rim.

Burritos are my favorite food dish since lasagna! Chipolte, and my one-month Roommate Steve introduced it to me. I enjoy buying all of the ingredients, and making them fresh for myself! Even salsa was a new introduction to me three years ago as my favorite condiment!

Seven (7) years ago, I purchased my first cell phone, digital camera, and received my first Palm. Today I have a Palm device that includes and replaces all three! I also received a pair of wayfarer eye-shields seven years ago. All of four of these were from The Wiz. I have now lost these, along with my first and only two pairs of prescription eye-shields that I ever owned, during these 3.75 years.

I have progressively been feeling younger. I am the same exact age as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Ellen Degenerous. Those are three of my favorite people. To quote NY Magazine: When Michael Jackson is 50; you know that you are old! How fitting, that NASA and AARP were first created when I was born! Now I live near NASA, and first qualify to be a member of AARP!

Bill Mahr is two years old than I, and one of my heroes. His views, beliefs, values, and attitude is nearly identical to mine! I now take 13 pills from two pillboxes each day for medical reasons! My parents lived through the Depression. One of which is still alive. I am glad to be employed during these times. Fortunately, my 401K has twenty years to recuperate. I love my new lifestyle!

Are they related?

Hillary Clinton Compares Bush TO Alfred E Neuman[snip]
"I sometimes feel that Alfred E. Neuman is in charge in Washington," Clinton said referring to the freckle-faced Mad magazine character. She drew a laugh from crowd when she described Bush's attitude toward tough issues with Neuman's catchphrase: "What, me worry?"

Tina Fey

Emmy Awards
Outstanding Writing - Variety Program2002 Saturday Night Live Outstanding Comedy Series2007 30 Rock2008 30 RockOutstanding Writing - Comedy Series2008 30 RockOutstanding Actress - Comedy2008 30 Rock
Golden Globe Awards
Best Actress - Musical or Comedy Series2008 30 Rock
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series2008 30 Rock

Sarah Palin
On the 34th season premiere episode, aired September 13, 2008, Fey returned to SNL in the role of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, alongside Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton. Their repartee included Clinton needling Palin about her "Tina Fey glasses". It quickly became NBC.com's most-watched viral video ever, with 5.7 million views by the following Wednesday.[16] The return has been speculated to be temporary, despite the potentially long-term nature of the role, should Palin be elected.[17] Palin's campaign said that Palin was amused, particularly because she had once dressed up as Tina Fey for Halloween,[18] though Palin later said she had seen the sketch without hearing the audio. John McCain's top economic advisor Carly Fiorina called the skit sexist.[19] During the 2008 Emmy Awards, Fey said of the vice-presidential candidate (in what may be the only known political advocacy regarding the 2008 Presidential election on Fey's part), "I want to be done playing this lady November 5. So if anyone could help me be done playing this lady November 5, that would be good for me." [20]
On September 27, 2008, she reprised her role as Palin, parodying the CBS News interview with Katie Couric, who was played by Poehler. Portions of the skit were direct quotes and gestures from interviews with Couric on September 24, 2008.
On October 4, 2008, Tina Fey once again returned to Saturday Night Live, playing the role of Palin at the 2008 vice-presidential debate, with Jason Sudeikis playing Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden and Queen Latifah as moderator Gwen Ifill.