The Real Post

Yom Kippur

2011-10-03T00:16:00.001-05:00

Yom Kippur

2011: October 7-8

Note: Holiday begins sundown.

Preparation for Yom Kippur begins during the first ten days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, beginning with Rosh Hashana, when Jews focus on Teshuva, repentance, and coming closer to G-d.

Erev Yom Kippur -

Kapparot – This is a ritual of symbolic atonement
1) Before Yom Kippur, we make every effort to rid ourselves of sin. The custom of Kapparot is recorded in the Shulchan Aruch, The Code of Jewish Law, written 500 years ago and is described there as an ancient custom.
2) Kapparot is generally performed during the night before Yom Kippur, although it may be performed earlier.
3) Traditionally, kapparot is performed by taking a live hen or rooster, depending on one’s gender, and swinging it over one’s head while reciting a passage transferring one’s sins onto the bird. The bird is then slaughtered according to Jewish Law and given to a family in need. – An alternative custom (which is widely practiced in modern times) is that, instead of a chicken, one takes the appropriate amount of money to feed a family and donates it to a charity that provides food to the needy.
Mincha – During Mincha, the afternoon service, the Vidui, confession, is added to the Silent Amida.
Eating a Festive Meal – It is a mitzvah to partake of a festive meal the day before Yom Kippur. This meal should be eaten early so that one may have the special seudah hamafseket, meal before a fast, after the afternoon service.

a) Whoever eats on erev (the eve of) Yom Kippur and fasts on Yom Kippur, it is as if (s)he fasted both days.

b) The fasts in Judaism are not about deprivation, but about reaching a more focused spiritual level. It is, however, important that one has the strength to focus on the activities of Yom Kippur day.

Seudah HaMafseket, The Meal Before the Fast.

1) This meal can actually be eaten any time during the day, although most people partake of it after mincha, the afternoon service. The meal must be concluded during the daytime.
2) One should only eat light foods which are not too salty in order not to make fasting difficult. (It is therefore the custom not to eat fish at this meal.)
3) No intoxicating beverages should be served.
4) It is customary to eat kreplach dumplings, (usually served in soup) before Yom Kippur. The kreplach are hidden bits of meat in dough, symbolic of our desire that G-d will hide our sins.

Yahrtzeit Candles-It is customary to light memorial [yahrtzeit] candles which burn for 24 hours just prior to lighting the festival candles.

Festival Candle Lighting: All Jewish holidays begin at sunset the evening before. On the Sabbath and Yom Tov [festival], candles are lit 18 minutes before sunset to welcome the holy day. The procedure for lighting candles for a holiday varies slightly from Sabbath candle-lighting:
a. The blessings are said before lighting the candles.
b. The end of the blessing is changed to represent Yom Kippur:
Baruch atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu melech Ha-olam, asher kideshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzeevanu l’hadlik ner shel Yom ha-Kippurim.
Blessed are you L-rd, our G-d ruler of the world, who sanctified us through His commandments and commanded us to kindle the lights of Yom Kippur.
c. An additional blessing is made to acknowledge the good fortune of being able to experience the holiday:
Baruch atah Ado-nai, Ehlo-haynu melech Ha-olam, she’he’che’yanu v’kee’manu v’hee’gee’anu la’zman ha’zeh.
Blessed are you L-rd, our G-d ruler of the world, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.

Customs and Laws:
A. Yom Kippur is a Yom Tov, a festival day, which is observed like Shabbat.
B. Afflicting your soul – “…on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict your souls and do no work at all…for on that day will G-d forgive you and cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before G-d” (Leviticus 16:29-30). How does one afflict one’s soul and why? The oral law enumerates five prohibitions as the way to “afflict your soul” on Yom Kippur: eating and drinking, washing, anointing, wearing leather shoes and marital relations. By refraining from these actions, one is reminded that it is the spirit that must be the focus, not the body. It may seem the opposite is true, that a person would focus on being hungry or thirsty or uncomfortable from not washing, but such discomforts are temporary and on Yom Kippur one can transcend physical discomfort to connect with the spirit of the day.

1) Eating and Drinking – From sunset on the eve of Yom Kippur until nightfall the next day it is forbidden to eat or drink.

Pregnant and nursing women also fast. However, they should consult both a doctor and a rabbi about fasting, if they feel that fasting will create a dangerous situation.

One who is ill must consult a rabbi. If the rabbi says (s)he may eat, they should only eat that which is necessary and should refrain from delicacies.

Girls below the age of 12 and boys below the age of 13 are not required to fast.

2) Washing – During the fast, one may not wash for pleasure.

If one is dirty, one is permitted to wash away the dirt.

Upon rising in the morning and after using the bathroom, one should wash one’s hands, but only up to the knuckles.

One may wash one’s hands when preparing food.

One may bathe a baby.

3) Anointing – It is forbidden to anoint oneself with oil, thus the use of perfumes, make-up, suntan lotion, and other such items is prohibited.

4) Wearing Leather Shoes – During the fast it is forbidden to wear leather shoes. Some people wear only socks, but others wear shoes of canvas or other non-leather materials.

5) Marital Relations – It is forbidden to have marital relations during Yom Kippur.

C. Wearing White – Many people have the custom of wearing white on Yom Kippur. Some men, wear a kittel, a simple white robe, over their clothing. On Yom Kippur evening, men wear their tallit, prayer shawl, which is usually worn only during the day. Wearing white serves several purposes:

i) One’s burial shroud is white and one is therefore reminded of one’s mortality and the need to do teshuvah, repentance.

ii) On Yom Kippur one wishes to resemble an angel, and therefore one symbolically dresses in white.

The Yom Kippur Prayers

Yom Kippur night – Kol Nidre This most famous of prayers is the opening of the Yom Kippur service. It begins before sunset, when the ark is opened and two Torah scrolls are removed to the bimah where the cantor is standing. The Kol Nidre service is an annulment of vows that one took in the past year or that one may take in the forthcoming year. This annulment refers only to voluntary vows between man and G-d and does not remove one’s obligation to repay debts or fulfill personal agreements.
Vidui/Confession- One aspect of the teshuvah/repentance process is to verbalize one’s sins. This takes place during the confession.
The confession must be with a true heart – one must truly repent the action (s)he is confessing.

Vidui is recited during every Yom Kippur service, including the afternoon service (mincha) preceding Yom Kippur.
The Vidui service is made up of a list of 22 sins (one for each letter of the aleph-bet). Examples of the confessional lines are:
i) For the sin that we have sinned before You under duress and willingly…

ii) For the sin that we have sinned before You with harsh speech…

The confession is recited standing up, head bowed in humility. As each confession is stated, one strikes the left side of his/her chest with his right fist.

Focusing on Vidui

* On first reading through the Vidui, one may think “I didn’t do that!” Each time one reviews the Vidui lines, however, one can gain a deeper insight into what is being said. For instance, one confession reads:For the sin that we have sinned before you by causing subservience through bribery.
“Subservience through bribery” does not necessarily mean giving a judge money to change a verdict. Every day people bribe each other with promises or flattery. When reading the Vidui, perhaps one may realize that they have coerced someone into doing something not quite right by promising them something or by encouraging the continuation of a negative character trait.
Reviewing the confession lines and reading them with a slightly different outlook will make the Yom Kippur experience all the more meaningful. Through this service, we realize how important our every action is.

The Torah Reading on Yom KippurDuring the Morning Service two Torah scrolls are removed from the ark. An account of the Yom Kippur Service of the High Priest in the Holy Temple is read from the Book of Leviticus, followed by a listing of the special sacrifices of the holiday in the Book of Numbers. The Haftorah is from the Book of Isaiah.

The Afternoon Service – Yom Kippur is the only holiday on which there is a weekday afternoon Torah reading. The section is taken from the portion of Acharei Mot in Leviticus and deals with the laws of forbidden sexual relations. The Haftorah is the story of Yonah (Jonah).
Yonah is one of the prophets of the Bible: G-d chooses Yonah go to the Assyrian city of Nineveh and warn them that they will be destroyed unless they change their ways. Instead of following G-d’s command, Yonah flees onto a ship, hoping to avoid this mission. G-d sends a great storm. The people on the ship, fearing for their lives, discern that Yonah is the cause and, at Yonah’s instruction, throw him overboard. Yonah is swallowed by a large fish (commonly interpreted as a whale). He lives inside the fish for three days, praying to G-d and accepting G-d’s will. When he is returned to dry land, he goes to Nineveh and gives them G-d’s message. The people repent and are saved. Yonah, however, leaves the city depressed that this city of idol-worshipers heeded G-d’s warning when his fellow Jews do not. He sits outside the city waiting to see what will happen. While he sleeps, G-d makes a vine grow over him to shade him from the heat. Yonah awakes and rejoices over the vine; but that night, G-d sends a worm to destroy the vine, causing Yonah to weep. G-d then rebukes him for having pity on a plant that appeared and disappeared in one night, but not having pity on the hundreds of thousands of souls of Nineveh.
We read from the Book of Yonah on Yom Kippur because it highlights the idea of teshuvah, repentance.
- Yonah realized that he had done wrong in trying to run away from G-d’s command. Yonah actually follows the pattern for teshuvah: He recognizes his mistake while on the ship during the storm; He verbally confesses that he was wrong by telling the men on the ship that he is the cause and instructing them to throw him overboard; He regrets his actions as expressed by the prayers he says while in the belly of the fish; and, when once again commanded by G-d to go to Nineveh, he does so.
- The men on the ship, seeing the power of the G-d of Israel, repent their worship of idols and convert to Judaism.
- The city of Nineveh heeds Yonah’s warning. The king of Nineveh decrees that his subjects must don sackcloth and repent. G-d sees that the people actually change their actions. The city is saved, highlighting the fact that G-d desires and accepts repentance from all people.
Yizkor – The Memorial Service
- The Yizkor Memorial Service is recited on the last day of each festival – Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, and on Yom Kippur (as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are considered like one holiday). The Yom Kippur Yizkor Service, however, is considered more significant than the other holidays.
- While those who have passed away are unable to grow spiritually, the deeds of their children earn merit for their souls.
- During the Yizkor Service, it is customary for people to offer a pledge to charity in memory of their loved one(s).
- In Ashkenazic custom, those whose parents are both living leave the sanctuary during Yizkor. In Sephardic custom, everyone remains in the sanctuary while the cantor recites Yizkor.
Ne’ilah – The closing prayers
- As the sun begins its descent on Yom Kippur, the Gates of Mercy, opened during the period of Teshuvah, are closing, and it is the last hour before the sentence is sealed.
- Only on Yom Kippur is a fifth Silent Amida added to the day, and this is during the Neilah service.
- As the day closes, the Neilah Service concludes with the blowing of the Shofar, heralding the closing of the Heavenly gates and announcing our optimism that our prayers were accepted and that the day will have a positive outcome.

After the Fast
After the Havdallah (separation of holy and weekday) ceremony, everyone returns home and partakes in a festive meal. Because one wishes to extend the holiness of the day, many begin preparing for the next holiday, Sukkot, by starting to build their sukkah right after Yom Kippur.

(reprinted with permission from “Jewish Art Calendar” published by A cable to Jewish Life www.cablejew.com)

Dough Ingredients:
2 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
3 Tbsps. oil
2 egg yolks
½ cup water
1 ½ tsps. baking powder or baking soda
Combine flour, salt, and oil. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks, water and baking powder (or soda). Add to flour mixture. Knead and rollout, thinly, on floured surface. Cut into 3 inch squares or circles.
Filling Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
2 Tbsps. oil
1 cup ground cooked meat or chicken
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg
1 Tbsp. matzoh meal
Saute onion in oil. Add chopped meat and brown for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Add salt, pepper, egg and matzoh meal, and mix well.
Fill center of each square or circle of dough with meat mixture. Fold into triangles, or bring both sides and bottom together towards center, pinching together, and thus forming a triangle.
Place folded triangles in lightly salted boiling water for approximately 20 minutes until kreplach float to top.
When ready, remove from pot and serve in soup or as a side dish.
For firmer kreplach, fry in heated oil in skillet over medium flame until golden brown on both sides.

Baby Kai Updates

2011-10-02T23:42:00.000-05:00

Lisa Casady Sears

From Josh (again). I promise Lisa will be back on Facebook soon:

Well, it seems like every day just seems to get longer and longer, with more and more to do. I don't know when I'm going to actually get to rest.

So, today started off like all the others so far. First of all, it is Kai's one week birthday! WOOHOO!! One week ago today God took the next step in completing this great miracle, he bro...ught my son into the world.

Back to my update, I had to get up early to go take care of some lab work for Kai. Then Lisa and I went over to see him and the excitement began. The doctor came out and talked to us, saying that his x-rays today were very much improved over yesterday. The antibiotics are working, the infection is under control and getting better, and Kai is making great progress. They are still running a lot of tests to figure out exactly what bacteria infected his body, but right now they still aren't sure. He said that this afternoon they were going to move him to a regular ventilator! YES! I can't wait to see him on the new machine tomorrow, which is the first VISIBLE sign for us of progress. I asked him for a timeline on that machine and he said conservatively speaking 72 hours and then to a CPAP with nasal canal. That means that in just 3 short days we MIGHT be able to actually hold our baby for the first time. I'm anticipating having Kai home within the next week and believing God for that.

God is so good and is continuing to work in Kai's life, but also through him in the lives of others. Waiting at the hospital, I got to talk with a woman named Magaly, who was crying. She said that her son was in the hospital with a brain tumor, in a vegetative state, and had been there for 40 days. They were putting in a feeding tube because he wasn't responding. He is only a year old. She said they had him at home for a year and now they have his bed, his favorite clothes, box of toys, etc. in his room but he isn't there. I sympathized with her some, shared Kai's story, and encouraged her about our Healing Father. We prayed together for her and her son, Caleb. God is opening doors through Kai for us to minister in a real way to people.

This afternoon we went to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor to check on Lisa, who has had some ear issues since the birth. He said she has an infection and gave her a bunch of meds to fight the infection in her ear and sinuses. Please pray for her as she not only recovers from C-section but also this infection. Pray for Kai and his continued RAPID recovery. Most importantly, pray for Magaly and Caleb, and for all the other opportunities that God is going to give us through Kai's situation, in order to further reveal HIS glory.

Joshua Sears

Update from Josh:

I went to the hospital this morning to see Kai and He continues to be stable. They said that he is delicate still, but stable. They took blood test and the results showed a minor improvement in the blood gases, which is important according to nurse friends of ours. Because of this they were going to begin lowering the levels of the high frequency ventilator, thereby weaning him ...off the machine. Then they would move him to a regular ventilator and do the same thing until he was off of that. What I discovered, however, was that they had already done so and he was staying stable, so the process of getting better has already started. Soon, we pray, he will be off this machine and on to a regular ventilator and then off that completely. Praising God for the small victories.

Well, when I arrived I was able to spend some time with him, talking to him, touching him, rubbing his little belly. He wiggled his little feet and everything. I decided to pray for him and I did so out loud, because I don't really care who hears me. I prayed that God would breath His breath of life and healing into Kai's body, that just a small drop of the blood of Jesus would flow through his veins, killing every infection and healing every organ. I rebuked ever spirit of infirmity and declared, not asked for, but declared healing in Jesus' name. My Messiah has all power and authority in Heaven and Earth and I don't ask sickness to do anything, I demand it by Christ's authority. I commanded the lungs to be healed and work properly, that every infectious cell die and leave his body, the healing power flow from the tips of his toes to the top of his head, out to the tips of his fingers.

As I prayed, I traced his body with my hand from the toes to the head to the fingers and placed my index finger on his chest. I had been in the room with him for about 10 minutes at this point and he had been a little responsive, wiggling toes, gripping my hand, etc. But at this point, as I prayed and traced his body, I noticed something different. I may have seen something because I wanted to so badly, but I believed what I prayed. I swear that as I placed my finger on his chest and asked for breath to flow and infection to die, I swear I saw his chest rise twice, as if he were breathing on his own. He moved his hands and arms slightly, moved his legs, and even moved his mouth a bit. I know that healing power touched him and I know what I saw, believe me or not.

Tomorrow, Lisa is getting discharged from the hospital and we'll go directly to see Kai because she hasn't seen him since Friday night just before getting in the ambulance. Pray for us tomorrow, as going home will be a bitter sweet event. We believe that we will be with Kai soon, forgetting the horrors of these past few days in the light of God's amazing goodness and grace.

**********************************************************************************

Joshua Sears

Good morning all!

I talked with the doctor at Bloom this morning and they said that Kai stayed stable last night with no changes or signs of normalization, with one exception. They said that they took a blood sample and tested the arterial gases (gas levels in his blood) to see how he was oxygenating. He showed an improvement in the oxygen levels in his blood, which signifies that he may be able to get off the high frequency machine in a day or two. I'm going to be going over there in a little bit to see him and check on how he is doing.

Thank you all for you continued prayers for us and we're believing God for quick recovery and healing, not a long, drawn out process.

More later

**********************************************************************************

It means a lot to me to have a name that has significance and meaning, so here it is for Kai.

In Hawaiian, Kai means "ocean" or "ocean water"
In Japanese, Kai may mean "big water", "ocean", "the sea", "paddle", "change", "receiver", "taker", "meditation", "forgiveness"
In Latin, Kai means "rejoice"

Noé is Spanish for Noah and means "peace, comfort, rest." We chose Kai Noé for it's meanings, because he is miracle and we rejoice in his birth. We find our peace, comfort, and rest in the God who made him and created him especially for us. Coincidentally, Noah sailed on the "ocean water" or Kai. =)

Here are the meanings that my mom discovered.

In Yoruba, a Nigerian language, Kai means "love"
In North Germanic languages, Kai means "keeper of the keys."
In Scandinavian languages, Kai means "rejoice"
In Finnish, Kai is a common male name meaning "probably"
In Chinese, Kai is a given name which can be one of several characters, meaning "victory" or "triumphant"
In Burmese, Kai means "strong" or "unbreakable"

All of these hold great meaning for us. He is our victorious, triumphant warrior, strong and unbreakable. He is our love, we rejoice in his birth, celebrate it, and give glory to our God and Father for his precious life. I hope you enjoy this little post.

His name is just a reminder to me that words have power, our words carry life and death, blessing and cursing. Names are important and I believe affect the life of a child, because each time we say their name we reaffirm it's meaning. Joshua is Yeshua in Hebrew, the same name of Jesus, and means "The Lord is my salvation". Eric means "boldness". I am bold the Lord my salvation. Names are important, not just for how they sound, but for what they mean.

Lisa means "oath of God."

We rejoice today, Father, in Kai, our victorious warrior. Watch over him, keep him, heal him, and get him home to us!

**********************************************************************************

Joshua Sears

Update this morning:

Mommy and Daddy slept good through the night, getting some much needed rest. They will not be discharging Lisa today and so we are looking at a day or two more being across town from Kai. That is frustrating, but Lisa doesn't need to rush herself into anything.

I'm updating with blurry eyes this morning, despite the sleep, but I have great reports. I received a call at 8 am... from Specialty Assist, the company that works with our insurance to do medical evacuation. We talked last night with them and they said they would contact the children's hospital, request his records, and evaluate the situation. They called this morning and said they talked with the hospital and it sounded like he was more stable. They would continue checking with them and would inform us if it became necessary, in their opinion, to evacuate to the US.

I then called the NICU unit across town to talk with them. They said that Kai passed the night without major changes, which is good. His oxygen saturation is at 100%, blood pressure perfect, heart rate is solid, he is stable and doing great. They took some x-rays of his lungs to check progress, but still didn't have results.

Just to copy something my mom posted, Kai in Burmese means "strong" or "unbreakable", in Chinese "victory, triumphant", in Yoruba (A nigerian language) "love", in North Germanic languages "keeper of the keys", Japanese "taker, receiver, ocean, change, forgiveness", in Hebrew "life"

Kai is obviously true to his name. I posted on my blog about name meanings. We believe very strongly in the importance of a name, because it reaffirms it's meaning to the child each time he hears it. I've already told him what his name means and who he is to us, who God created him to be. He is unbreakable and strong, a triumphant warrior of God, our love, our precious little life.

Thank you for praying for him and keeping us lifted up. I'll update as I know more.

Brandy Tuesday

‎Lisa Casady Sears and Joshua Sears are missionaries in El Salvador... Please pray for their baby boy Kai. He was born yesterday but a very aggressive bacterial infection has been attacking his little body. He's being moved to a different hospital where there are different machines to help him fight.
Kai was born in El Salvador. Please pray now!

**********************************************************************************

Joshua Sears

Ok, officially the hardest 24 hours ever of my life! Here's the latest news on Kai.

This afternoon at about 3 pm the pediatrician came in and told Lisa that Kai needed to me transported soon to a children's hospital where they have a high frequency ventilator that he needs to have. There is only 1 of these machines in the country that can be rented and it was in use so the only option was a tran...sport.

I was out running a couple errands to get my mind off of things for a bit and Lisa called me to say get back quick. So I rushed back to the hospital to figure it all out. Essentially he was not improving and was in need of this better machine, which keeps constant pressure to maintain all passageways and air sacs open without putting high pressure on the lungs (which is what the regular one does at full capacity on such small lungs, causing the possibility of rupture).

Doc said it was absolutely necessary because here they could do no more and he could deteriorate quickly. So the option was to take him by ambulance across town to a children's hospital where they have the high freq. machine. The risk was that they had to remove him from ventilator and use a hand pump the entire ride until we got him hooked up over there. This meant that he could deteriorate and not even make it across town because of his delicate condition. Talk about the hardest decision ever for us!

After breaking down a bit, I recomposed myself, explained it all to Lisa (who was on the edge of hysterics and rightly so), and then made the decision to authorize the transfer. Life and death in the balance, the ambulance was prepared and so was Kai. Lisa remained here in the hospital and I loaded up in an ambulance with Kai, the pediatrician, neonatologist, 2 nurses, the ambulance staff and myself and headed off to the hospital. This was all during rush hour traffic in a city where they pay no attention to emergency vehicles.

By the grace of God we made it across town in about 20 minutes, when it should have taken an hour or more under these traffic conditions. The whole way Kai's oxygen levels were higher than they were in the hospital and his vitals stayed solid.

We arrived at the children's hospital and unloaded him, rushing to the NICU ward to hook him up. Within minutes of arriving he was hooked to he high frequency machine and on support. Immediately his signs improved, color returned, blood pressure stabilized, heart rate settled, etc. His oxygen levels were between 90 and 95% on the new machine, levels unreachable on the regular one. The neonatologist came out and sounded the most optimistic she has during the whole 48 hours. I got to see Kai, touch him, kiss him, and pray over him there in NICU. He is across town, but doing great and stable. The head of the ward is a good friend of our pediatrician and so they will be in constant contact.

Now we fight the battle of being away from him and unable to see him so easily. Lisa has not been discharged yet and Kai is across town. We'll see how all this works out. Thank you all for your prayers and we'll keep you posted. My little warrior is tough as nails and strong as an ox. This kid is gonna rock some spiritual heads when he gets older!

Kai born 3 weeks early by C-Section

Lungs Xray should be black not white!

Please Pray for Kai Sears!

Life & Style

2011-10-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

A bright fall: Color blocking boldly returns

By JOY SEWING, FASHION WRITER

It was the 1990s, and music groups such as TLC and Tony! Toni! Tone! playfully bounced around in videos with feel-good dance songs while wearing blindingly bright clothing.
Their colors were as infectious as their music. Red, yellow, green, orange and other hues, all in the same outfit. The trend was a carry over from the 1980s, an era of body suits, leggings and Madonna.
I was right on trend with a multicolored wool blazer made of large panels of orange, mustard gold, purple and fuchsia. It was my fun go-to piece for years, but as fashion transitioned into a minimalist look, my favorite blazer eventually found its way into the donation pile.
Who knew color blocking would return?
Past seasons have been showing color blocking in bits, but fall re-captures the sunny spirit of color in a major way.
Oscar de la Renta does it with jewelry and shoes. Chloe adds patchwork color to ponchos and skirts. Designers such as Nicole Miller and Calvin Klein as well use color blocking with more subdued hues that work well for career dressing.
Fashion experts often advise if you've worn it the first time around, you should never wear it again.
Yet, as trends make a comeback, there's always a different twist.
This time, color blocking is more subtle with pops of several colors, not the entire rainbow spectrum. You can add an ultra-bright top with black pants and a two-tone clutch or have a bright-color jacket with a skirt in a softer tone.
Enjoy a bright fall.

joy.sewing@chron.com

Breaking World News

2011-10-02T14:05:00.000-05:00

Apple Visionary Loses Cancer Battle

CUPERTINO, Calif. – Steve Jobs, the Apple founder and former CEO who invented and masterfully marketed ever-sleeker gadgets that transformed everyday technology, from the personal computer to the iPod and iPhone, has died. He was 56.

Apple announced his death without giving a specific cause.

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," the company said in a brief statement.

"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve"

Jobs had battled cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant in 2009 after taking a leave of absence for unspecified health problems. He took another leave of absence in January -- his third since his health problems began -- before resigning as CEO six weeks ago. Jobs became Apple's chairman and handed the CEO job over to his hand-picked successor, Tim Cook.

The news Apple fans and shareholders had been dreading came the day after Apple unveiled its latest version of the iPhone, just one in a procession of devices that shaped technology and society while Jobs was running the company.

Jobs started Apple with a high school friend in a Silicon Valley garage in 1976, was forced out a decade later and returned in 1997 to rescue the company. During his second stint, it grew into the most valuable technology company in the world with a market value of $351 billion. Only Exxon Mobil, which makes it money extracting and refining oil instead of ideas, is worth more.

Cultivating Apple's countercultural sensibility and a minimalist design ethic, Jobs rolled out one sensational product after another, even in the face of the late-2000s recession and his own failing health. READ MORE

Panetta Warns Israel to Avoid Isolation in Region

ON BOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT – Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned Sunday that Israel is becoming increasingly isolated in the Middle East, and said Israeli leaders must restart negotiations with the Palestinians and work to restore relations with Egypt and Turkey.

In a blunt assessment made as he was traveling to Israel, Panetta said the ongoing upheaval in the Middle East makes it critical for the Israelis to find ways to communicate with other nations in the region in order to have stability.

"There's not much question in my mind that they maintain that (military) edge," Panetta told reporters traveling with him. "But the question you have to ask: Is it enough to maintain a military edge if you're isolating yourself in the diplomatic arena? Real security can only be achieved by both a strong diplomatic effort as well as a strong effort to project your military strength."

Panetta is scheduled to meet this week with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and then travel to a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. His visit comes as Mideast negotiators push for a peace deal by the end of next year, amping up pressure for the resumption of long-stalled talks. Read more:

Politics

2011-10-02T12:43:00.001-05:00

Kagan, Thomas Targeted in Hopes of Swaying Supreme Court's Health Care Ruling

FILE: In this Oct. 8, 2010, file photo, members of the Supreme Court gather for a group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington. Seated from left are: Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Standing, from left are: Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito Jr., and Elena Kagan.

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court hasn't even agreed yet to take the case questioning the constitutionality of the individual mandate -- the centerpiece of President Obama's health care law -- but already arguments are lined up to remove justices from trying to weigh in on deliberations.

Justice Elena Kagan's role in the Obama administration as it was formulating the legal defense for the health care law disqualifies her from participating in the decision, say groups who call the former solicitor general incapable of being objective. Kagan says she was not involved in developing the legal strategy of the Affordable Care Act, but opponents of the law have requested records of the administration's deliberation process to see who participated.

Conversely, liberal groups and some Democrats in Congress say Justice Clarence Thomas can't be jurisprudent because his wife worked for organizations that actively opposed the health care law. On Thursday, 20 House Democrats requested a federal investigation into whether Thomas broke federal disclosure laws by not listing his wife's pay on a disclosure form for 21 years -- even though her job at the time was no secret. Read more:

700 arrested in New York protest

Associated Press

Occupy Wall Street demonstrators swarmed the Brooklyn Bridge and shut down a lane of traffic for hours.

Business

2011-10-01T14:22:00.000-05:00

Kodak Seeks Help as Fears Mount

Eastman Kodak has hired law firm Jones Day for restructuring advice, but the imaging company said it had no intention to file for bankruptcy protection.

For Small Business, Bad News on Health Care Costs Isn't as Bad

By ROBB MANDELBAUM

There’s bad news from the workplace: as The New York Times reported on Tuesday, the cost of health insurance rose sharply in 2011 after several years of relatively slow growth. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s annual survey on employer health benefits, the average premium to insure a family of four grew 9 percent, to just over $15,073. For single coverage, premiums rose 8 percent, to $5,429. MORE MEDIA

Entertainment

2011-10-01T14:20:00.000-05:00

Box Office: 'Dolphin Tale,' two other holdovers beat four new..

Four new movies debuted at the box office this weekend, but it was "Dolphin Tale" that swam to the front of the pack.

The 3-D family film, which has been in theaters for two weeks, was one of three holdovers to maintain strong ticket sales this weekend. "Dolphin Tale" took the No. 1 spot with $14.2 million, raising its domestic total to $37.5 million, according to distributor Warner Bros. It was followed by the baseball drama "Moneyball," which raked in $12.5 million and now has grossed $38.5 million. A 3-D version of 1994's "The Lion King," which took the top spot at the box office for the last two weekends, came in third with $11.1 million. The animated re-release has now collected $79.7 million. MORE NEWS

Kitchen at Heights restaurant is 'erratic'

By Alison Cook

The tiny red roses on my table at Down House had turned black at the edges, and their posture had gone slack. The vases on the tables near me on that recent afternoon looked just as foreboding. Then the food came — a late breakfast —and I wondered how the trim little cafe that had seemed so promising when it opened in May had managed to lose its way so quickly.

My first meal at Down House made me happy from start to finish. The flowers on my table enchanted me. I loved the super-serious coffee program and the rich, velvety cappuccino it produced. A simple, sparkling fruit plate of Texas peaches and berries showed a commitment to fresh, local ingredients I couldn’t help but admire.

I adored the moist, streusel-topped muffin laced with fat blueberries, thinking it as good as the ones my mom used to make. Maybe better. A nicely made cheese omelet of local farm eggs came with a great little sautéed cherry tomato relish, and I thought, hey, I think I’ll try that at home.
My service was as sunny as the summer day, and when my check came tucked into a book about Charles Darwin (Down House is named after his modest estate in England), I was charmed. Darwin has always fascinated me, so I ordered another coffee and sank back in the deeply tufted, leathery banquette to read awhile. MORE MEDIA

Tech

2011-10-01T00:14:00.000-05:00

Yahoo shares soar on new Microsoft takeover hopes

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)–Yahoo's stock price is up, riding hopes that the company's once-spurned suitor, Microsoft, will come calling with another takeover bid. Microsoft could return because Yahoo has said it is mulling a possible sale.

The shares soared more than 10% Wednesday after Reuters reported that Microsoft. is considering making an offer.

The report fed speculation that has swirled around Yahoo since it fired Carol Bartz as CEO five weeks ago. Reuters cited unnamed sources it said included a high-ranking Microsoft executive.

In May 2008, Yahoo turned down an opportunity to sell itself to Microsoft for $33 per share, or $47.5 billion in all. The shares closed Wednesday at $15.92 after retreating in late afternoon.

A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment.

Ellison unveils new cloud, trashes Salesforce.com

The new service's open design is far superior to Salesforce.com's "roach motel," according to Ellison

By Chris Kanaracus

October 5, 2011 08:50 PM ET

IDG News Service - Oracle CEO Larry Ellison on Wednesday unveiled a public cloud service that will run its Fusion Applications and others, and while doing so delivered a withering broadside against competitors, with his harshest words for Salesforce.com.
"Our cloud's a little bit different. It's both platform as a service and applications as a service," he said during a keynote address at the OpenWorld conference in San Francisco, which was webcast. "The key part is that our cloud is based on industry standards and supports full interoperability with other clouds. Just because you go to the cloud doesn't mean you forget everything about information technology from the past 20 years."
In contrast, Salesforce.com's Force.com platform is the "roach motel" of cloud services, amounting to "the ultimate vendor lock-in" due to its use of custom programming languages like APEX. In contrast, the Oracle Public Cloud uses Java, SQL, XML and other standards, Ellison said.
"You can check in but you can't check out" of Salesforce.com, Ellison said to laughter from the OpenWorld crowd. "It's like an airplane, you fly into the cloud and you never get out. It's not a good thing."
Salesforce.com may have bought Heroku, a cloud application platform that supports Java, but customers shouldn't be fooled, Ellison claimed.
"They say, 'Oh, we just bought Heroku. It runs Java.' [But] it's sort of like a Salesforce.com version of Java that only runs in Heroku. Don't try to move that [Java Enterprise Edition] application to the Salesforce.com cloud. It won't run. If you build something in Heroku you can't move it. It's a derivative of Java."
In contrast, "you can take any existing Oracle database you have and move it to our cloud," Ellison said. "You can just move it across and it runs unchanged. Oh by the way, you can move it back if you want to. You can move it to the Amazon cloud if you want to. You can do development and test on our cloud and go into production in your data center ... and nothing changes."
"Beware of false clouds," Ellison said, referring to a favorite saying of Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff. "That is such good advice. I could not have said it better myself."

Innovative Stores

2010-12-13T20:04:00.000-06:00

Wow! What a rush! Since the birth of InnovativeStores.com's E-Commerce inception there has been real growth that is measurable. I have used Adsense, Affiliate programs, Social Networking, Manufacturers, Commission programs, and other sources.

The store has generated Since November 1st until today over 2500 absolute unique visitors and a bounce rate of 30%. The store in products has generated about 800 gross and the "cost of goods sold" has been about 40% not including taxes and shipping.

Overall I am glad of the progress, I just need more help with adding more products. We have a potential of 10,000 + items.

Another big growth in the company is "Print Collateral" examples include Business Cards, Brochures, Websites, Flyers, and other types of printing products provided with professionalism and clean designs.

Any suggestions from the blogging community will be accepted!

P.S. Visit my website at http://www.innovativestores.com

James Real

Adsense

2010-12-02T21:31:00.000-06:00

I am trying this new AdSense thing and I am learning a lot. If anyone has any tips or can help me better this new project this will be greatly appreciated.

Also I have signed up for Commission Junction and need assistance in this as well.

Thanks,

True Uneducated Buying Story

2009-08-06T11:54:00.000-05:00

Hi!

This is a true story that happened to me because of not placing these principles to all buying.

I am tech savvy to an extent and can say comfortably that I am an industry professional and expert as far as technology and information systems go but, home improvement is my downfall and I did not practice what I preached.

After 15 years in our house we decide to replace all the windows but had no idea about the windows but I ASSUMED that to not use the real business name, "Home Dep*t" was the industry professional in all matters of home improvement.

In a nutshell: We went and inquired about windows and asked the saleslady to get us what is required and recommended for our house. I specifically told her I want the best product that will save me the most energy and with in reason. The lady showed us a display and educated us on the LoE window and gave us a price with that recommendation. We blindly payed and waited 3 weeks for the windows to arrive and contacted our contractor to install them spending almost 8K. When he was installing on of the bathroom windows the contractor stumbled upon a difective part which we needed to go to the home improvemnt authority and replace it.

We went to replace it that evening and was assisted by an older gentlman that has worked there since the place was built and was starting up the replacement process. He asked us what type of windows we purchased and he was excited that we chose the really good ones. Then he took a look at our order and his face turned red and said that the windows we have are not what we ordered, "I was surprised, upset, angry" and he called over a manager which stated, "The saleslady no longer works here and they were not responsible for what she did and that he was busy and to come back the next night" we showed up and argued on FRAUD and MISLEADING, and CHEATING us and he supposidly gave us the right window for the bathroom and sent us on our way.

We came back again and started brining up possible lawsuits and my contacts in the Senate and House about this FRAUD. All of the sudden, he was not the tore manager and he has no authority make any changes or refunds or order new windows and that I need to call the next day and ask for the real store manager.

Long story short, it has been almost 2 months and the store just agreed to provide the right windows but we still have to pay the difference because it is a 2K dollar diffrence and that they would take care of the entire labor.

Latest update: It has been over 2 months now and no windows installed yet and the store still has to get the windows built and then set up the install date.

The lesson was to do my research!! After they commited the fraud against us I intently started researching on google and making iquiry calls about windows, types of windows, the installations of windows and laws regarding the installation of windows. A tad to late, RIGHT!

Please become a smart educated buyer and don't go put yourself in this bad situations.

James Real
www.innovativestores.com

Innovatve Technologies

2009-08-06T10:47:00.001-05:00

Welcome,

Have you ever been misled or misguided while trying to purchase technology. Here I can suggest and implore you to follow innovative steps to avoid getting scammed.

1. Before going anywhere or doing anything - Identify what you need.

2. Once you Identify what you need, RESEARCH via Google, cold calls and inquiries
a. What
b. Where
c. When
d. Why
e. What for
f. How

3. Once you know and have answered all these questions you have become what many call "An Educated Buyer"

4. Lastly, keep in mind that when it comes to technology what you pay for is what you get: Example: You want a Gaming computer but your power supply is a cheap $20 300 watt power supply and your machine blows up.

Be a smart buyer and allway's be prepared to buy smart.

James Real
www.innovativestores.com

Blogging is King

2009-08-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

Welcome

2008-11-06T22:54:00.000-06:00

Innovative Technologies does not replace your current Technology department but enhances your Information Technology through industry consulting, technology consulting, internet marketing and IT services for the sole purpose in providing technical assistance and business growth through technology.

Innovative Technologies works with small to medium companies that cannot afford or maintain an IT department but need an innovative approach with professional consulting, digital marketing and cost effective solutions that amplify and innovate your companies profits and growth.

Computer Consulting

2008-01-23T16:22:00.000-06:00

Innovative Technologies Real, LLC.

Maintenance/Service Plan
To better serve our customer’s needs I have developed a monthly maintenance/service plan that covers many of the most common support cases that we handle. We will analyze the operation of your network, servers, and workstations and provide you with a breakdown of issues and potential problems that we find. Once you have received this breakdown we will recommended a solution in which will be at an additional cost per hour basis.For $125 per month for a 1 year agreement/contract or $80 per hour Innovative Technologies Real, LLC will perform the following maintenance/service checks on one network server in your organization and three workstations. The same checks will be performed on additional servers at the cost of $50 per server and each additional workstation $25.00. Server Maintenance checks include:
1. Review system logs for errors and potential problems
2. Review service pack and hot fix installation history
3. Review hard disk usage and health reports
4. Review system backup process and disaster recovery status
5. Update emergency repair disks
6. Test backup media
7. Confirm data set that is being backed up
8. Review Antivirus Protection
9. Check program version and signature files
10. Review scan history log for virus alerts
11. Review exclusions and exemption list for potential issues
12. Review scheduled system scans
13. Verify that scheduled updates are being performed
Network Maintenance checks include:
1. Document network devices (hubs/switches/routers)
2. Review device configuration
3. Review firewall configuration

We also recommend that regular maintenance checks be performed on your workstations. For $25 per computer we will perform the following steps and provide you with a detailed report.

Workstation Maintenance checks include:
Review disk usage
Review hardware statistics
Review hot fix and service pack install history
Review antivirus program configuration Upon completion of these items we will provide a comprehensive report detailing areas of concern and issues that have been identified thru this process. You will receive a breakdown of your hardware specs for the workstations, a list of service packs and hot fixes that need to be installed, and recommended services or products that will assist in performing these items.
Any additional work that is recommended and approved to complete will be at an $80 per hour charge minimum. Once the recommendation granted a check/monies must be written/received prior to the commencement of the project in order to purchase products and equipment and time to complete the task.

Preventative Maintenance Example
Per Workstation Per Server

What How Often Time
1. Clean Up the Hard Disk of Temporary Files Weekly 5 Min
2. Defragment Drive Monthly 30 Min
3. Check Hard Disk for Errors Weekly 15 Min
4. Automate Microsoft Updates Weekly 5 Min
5. Install Antivirus Updates Weekly 5 Min
6. Delete Files not needed any more Bi-Weekly 30 Min
7. Backup Files and Documents Bi-Weekly 30 Min
8. Burn Files to a CD or External Drive Bi-Weekly 30 Min
9. Perform Registry Scans and Repairs Bi-Weekly 30 Min
10. Manually Review Event Logs Monthly 10 Min
11. Check Firewall Configurations Monthly 5 Min
12. Check and Update Firmware Monthly 5 Min
13. Develop a Comprehensive Spreadsheet Bi-Weekly 15 Min

Total Tasks: 13 Bi-Weekly & Monthly 240 Min or 4 Hours
_________________________________________________________________________________
Possible Schedule Scenario
We can do on or the other or a combination of all Scenario.
Scenario 1
5 tasks for Daily Workstation10 tasks for Daily Server5 tasks for Daily NetworkScenario 26 tasks for Weekly workstation12 tasks for Weekly Server3 tasks for Weekly networkScenario 39 tasks for Monthly workstation12 task for Monthly Server9tasks for Monthly network