Gary Freedman's Blog

September 1, 1939

The Chopin Polonaise in A-flat major playing endlessly on the radio in Warsaw . . . waves of Stuka dive bombers . . . fleeing refugees . . . fighting street by street and inch for inch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEl9zn8JPW8

The following is from the BBC.

1939: Germany invades Poland

German forces have invaded Poland and its planes have bombed Polish cities, including the capital, Warsaw.

The attack comes without any warning or declaration of… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on September 1, 2009 at 1:30pm — 1 Comment

How I Scammed the Social Security Administration With The Help Of Nicole Rafanello

Acting. It's an amazing craft, don't you think? How do those actors pull it off? Actors, really good actors, that is, project such incredible credibility. Outstanding actors, those few who can fool all the people all the time, are able to portray widely divergent roles with convincing ease.

The following is my audition tape for the lead role in "The Enraged Psychopath." What's interesting is that before I did the audition, Dr. Bash was always trying to get me to go back to work.… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on September 1, 2009 at 1:01pm — 1 Comment

Whatever Happened to Tracy Middendorf's Husband?

I once went to dinner with Jesse Raben and Tracy Middendorf's husband, Franz. Franz asked me: "The last time you went on a date, was it with a girl or a guy?" I said: "It was with a hermaphrodite." Jesse Raben said: "Hermaphrodites. They fuck and they are fucked."

By the way, the meal was tres formidable.

For inquiring minds who are interested in the details, you can follow Franz Wisner on Twitter:…

Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on September 1, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Lunch for Bernie

I used to work at The Franklin Institute Research Laboratories in Philadelphia. I worked for a man named Bernie Epstein. Maybe once or twice a week he'd ask me to go out and get him lunch. The requests were short on repertory.

He would either ask me to go to the Kennedy House, an apartment building in downtown Philadelphia that had a deli on the street level or The New Franklin, which was around the corner from The Franklin Institute.

If he sent me to the Kennedy House,… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on September 1, 2009 at 10:54am — No Comments

Should John Hinckley Get More Freedom?

John Hinckley attempted to assassinate former President Ronald Reagan in 1981. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity in his subsequent trial.

Hinckley has been housed at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, DC since he was found to be insane. In recent years Hinckley has repeatedly filed motions with the court to gain more freedom. At a recent hearing his psychologist Nicole Rafanello argued that he should be granted more leave from the hospital.

Rafanello, a… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 31, 2009 at 11:00am — 4 Comments

Can You Spot the Facebook Narcissist?

Facebook profiles can tell you more than just peoples' birthdays and what movies they like — they can reveal the self-adoring, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the University of Georgia gave personality questionnaires to nearly 130 Facebook users and analyzed the content of their online profiles. They also had untrained observers look at the profiles and rate how narcissistic, or excessively egotistical, the owners of the profiles were.

The results of the study are… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 30, 2009 at 11:49am — 2 Comments

Salman Akhtar, MD

Salman Akhtar (born July 31, 1946 in Lucknow, India) is a psychoanalyst who also holds a professorship at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Dr. Akhtar's business address is 833 Chestnut Street, Thomas Jefferson University, Psychiatry Suite 210, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Phone: (215) 955-8420 / email: Salman.Akhtar@jefferson.edu

He was educated at Colvin Taluqdars' College in Lucknow and Aligarh University before moving to Chandigarh where he completed his training in… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 30, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Brian P. Brown is Retiring

Brian P. Brown, Branch Librarian of the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library, Washington, DC, will be retiring. I could make some nasty comments, but I won't.

Added by Gary Freedman on August 28, 2009 at 11:52am — No Comments

Are You A Creative Person?

I see myself as a creative person. Among other things, I tend to be independent in my thinking and actions. Sometimes my independence has gotten me in trouble with more conforming people. How does one maintain his independence and, at the same time, get along with people who place a premium on conformity and conventionality?

My psychiatrist recommended that I try to be more conforming. He said if I was less independent, my relations with other people might improve. He said,… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 27, 2009 at 11:24am — 3 Comments

A Message From Matt Burke

I have a Facebook friend named Matt Burke. He lives in Manchester, England. He once telephoned me; we chatted for a while. He's a professional musician: a trumpet player and teacher. He's a fan of jazz and classical music, especially Mahler and Bruckner. Here's a recent message I got from Matt:

Hi Gary,

I loved reading about your trip [to Atlantic City], it made me smile! Sounds like you had a lovely time and spent just the right amount of time away too? I enjoyed how… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 27, 2009 at 11:21am — No Comments

Whatever Happened to Jennifer Mesches?

I started working at the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld in early March 1988. I worked in the paralegal group. When I started working at the firm, another paralegal, Jennifer Mesches, who was pregnant at the time, trained me in the task I was to do for the firm. My direct supervisor, Lilliam Machado, now a lawyer, was on her honeymoon with Luis. I worked in Jennifer Mesches' office. Jennifer Mesches was married to Craig Mesches. She left the firm later in the spring or summer… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 25, 2009 at 12:00pm — 1 Comment

Whatever Happened to Donna Kanin?

Donna Kanin used to be an assistant librarian at my local library, The Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library in Washington, DC. Donna Kanin has been licensed to practice law in Texas since 1981. Like my mentor Bob Strauss, Donna Kanin was a proud Texas Jew. She used to practice law at the Justice Department. What was she doing working as a librarian, and what happened to her? I never see her anymore.

Added by Gary Freedman on August 24, 2009 at 12:49pm — No Comments

Joke of the Decade

The Wall Street Journal in early 2008 reported: "Lehman Brothers doesn't expect a recession . . . "

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/the-w-recession/

Ha! I guess Lehman Brothers doesn't see the humor in that. Actually, Lehman Brothers isn't around anymore to see the humor in that.

Added by Gary Freedman on August 24, 2009 at 12:39pm — No Comments

Have You Ever Been a Victim of Workplace Bullying?

Many activities of workplace bullies are conducted in a subtle and devious manner. People whose confidence and self-esteem have been exposed to subtle, devious harassment find it immensely difficult to confront the bullies. It can also be difficult for others to identify such behaviour. Men and women enduring less obvious bullying can feel confused, even paranoid, because of the unpredictability and irrationality of the behavior. They can use up emotional and mental resources trying to figure… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 23, 2009 at 11:30am — 5 Comments

Vitamin P

(Reprinted without permission from "The Goy's Guide to Israel.")

Okay, unscheduled break over.

Sometime last year, I posted a message on an online forum, asking for the contact details of a (potential) professional contact.

Someone kindly obliged; but in a postscript to her message, warned that I'd need "Vitamin P" if I hoped to make any headway.

"Vitamin P?"

Israel, many argue, was built upon the premise of what we call in Nigeria "man… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 22, 2009 at 2:06pm — 1 Comment

Abbas Jama, MD

I started seeing a new psychiatrist a few weeks ago. I like him a lot. He's a fourth-year resident in psychiatry, affiliated with St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, DC.

Dr. Jama was a clinical research fellow in the lab of Todd Gould, MD, at the University of Maryland Medical School. You can reach Dr. Gould at 410-706-5585 or email him at tgould@psych.umaryland.edu

Dr. Gould's lab uses molecular, cellular, and behavioral approaches to study the pharmacology of… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 22, 2009 at 1:30pm — 3 Comments

Basic Anatomy: Are Republicans Like Spiders?

Several days ago I wrote: "Spiders have been building the same type of spider webs for the last two million years. Republicans remind me of spiders. They don't evolve. And they oppose anybody who proposes that society evolve and improve."

To which a critic replied: "And, they (spiders) have also been around for the last two million years according to your quote here. Sounds like they know how to survive!"

My response? Life should be about more than just survival. Mankind… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 22, 2009 at 11:00am — 1 Comment

HHS Death Squads Operating In Nursing Homes

The longer the Democrats control Congress, the more Orwellian the language and the more sinister the methods adopted by the Obama Administration and its allies. While President Obama and his officials depict the elderly resisting the federal government's program of "death panels,” Health and Human Services (HHS) and Special Forces assassination squads are at work in nursing homes, seeking to eliminate AARP leaders and other opponents of the Obama Administration's plan to exterminate every… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 21, 2009 at 10:00am — 2 Comments

Is This The End of an Era?

This afternoon I went to my neighborhood library, the Cleveland Neighborhood library, in Washington, DC. Brian, the head librarian. was wearing a soccer shirt. I thought it was unprofessional for a supervisory employee of the DC government to be dressed so casually. Then I overheard him say he wasn't on duty today. He just came in to do some paperwork. Such dedication!

Then I overheard Brian say to a patron, "You know I'm leaving, don't you?" At least that's what I think I heard. Is… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 21, 2009 at 9:16am — 3 Comments

Growing Up Jewish in South Czechoslovakia -- In Memory of June 13th

Franz Kafka's father, Hermann Kafka, had escaped a poor Jewish upbringing in the town of Wossek, about fifty miles southwest of Prague, and had made a name for himself with his successful store. He had been thoroughly assimilated, registering as a Czech national and giving his children German, not Jewish names, and looked askance at his son's fascination with what he considered "backward" and something to be discarded without a second thought. Franz brings this up for a lengthy discussion in… Continue

Added by Gary Freedman on August 21, 2009 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

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