-1945-1950 from Planck's Constant Archives

Posted on June 8, 2011 11:31 PM

One of my earliest memories is the train ride from Poland to Germany when I was 3 years old. I recall vividly that it was very late at night and some of the travelers in the car were trying to figure out how to turn off the light in the ceiling because they wanted to go to sleep.

Read the Rest: The Rabbi, The Mullah and the Nun

Posted on November 24, 2010 11:33 PM

Ellis Island at the turn of the last century

I just finished baking two blueberry pies, brining the turkey and getting supplies in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. My family never, ever fails to celebrate this holiday. It happens that every year, on the day before Thanksgiving, I am reminded of the day I came to America.

Read the Rest: A Thankful Immigrant

Posted on April 2, 2008 02:24 AM

My mother warned me not to take candy from a stranger. This might be the man she was talking about. But danger isn't always so obvious.

Read the Rest: Mother was right but she never said anything about Muslims

Posted on November 21, 2007 02:29 PM

In American culture every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings. In Islam, every time a bomb explodes a martyr gets to bang a couple of happy, willing virgins.

Read the Rest: Muslim Games

Posted on April 10, 2007 11:47 PM

There are about a dozen memories I have of my childhood before we came to America in December of 1949. I know that most people have trouble recalling much of their lives before they turned five, but I was fortunate that my mother took loads of photos of me as a child.

Read the Rest: Lions and Tigers and Bears and Me

Posted on March 23, 2007 10:11 PM

There were only boys and men at the Y so when you went swimming it was butt naked. The lifeguard would check you over when you came in to make sure you took a shower before coming in to swim. You had to show the bottoms of your feet to show they were clean as well.

Read the Rest: We Swam Naked Back in the 1950s

Posted on March 14, 2007 09:35 PM

My mother loved shoes.
I mean she loved shoes.
When the war ended in 1945 my father left Uzbekistan with two hundred thousand dollars sown into two of my mother's fur coats. The bills were larger in dimension than our present notes and made the coats weigh about 4 pounds heavier each.

Read the Rest: My Mother Loved Shoes

Posted on January 31, 2007 05:31 PM

It was one of those bright sunny days that feel so good when you seek shelter under the canopy of a large, well-endowed tree [I'm such a keyword whore]. At first I thought the tree was bleeding leaves. I saw these green, hairy, finger-like insects carpeting the entire bark of one tree.