Friday, June 30
Thursday, June 29
Wednesday, June 28
Monday, June 26
sucker!
aviyah was named yesterday, and she had her red egg party too. we were so happy to see our family and friends . . we were so honored that you came. thank you!
we are hoping to put up party pictures soon. : )
we are hoping to put up party pictures soon. : )
Thursday, June 22
Wednesday, June 21
aviyah xiaolei will be named sunday, june 25th at park slope jewish center in park slope, brooklyn.
in jewish tradition, a brit bat ceremony enters a daughter into the jewish covenant. the covenant is an agreement and commitment to love and serve from god to us and from us to god. the sages determined that a baby gains her soul after the first 30 days.
in chinese tradition, a red egg and ginger party announces and names the baby before the community. the mother and child commonly stay home for 30 days to recover from delivery and gain strength and resillience. red eggs symbolize happiness, fertility, and the cycle or renewal of life.
the brit bat ceremony will begin at 10am. the red egg and ginger party will follow at 11am. we'd love to see you!
Tuesday, June 20
mind trippin'
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F10717FD35550C738EDDAF0894DE404482
an inconvenient truth, a recent documentary and book by al gore, documents the increasing scientific consensus on global warming. gore maintains that the climate crisis presents the single, most significant crisis we have faced. research demonstrates that as the ice caps continue to melt, the sea level continues to rise. as the seas and oceans rise, low land plains and marshes will begin to flood. for example, gore explains that southern florida and lower manhattan will completely flood.
critics maintain that extant science is inconsistent, and that global warming trends may mirror earlier global temperature swings. however, gore explains that current trends far outpace historical changes and significantly skew natural weather patterns, including hurricanes. in "Next Victim of Warming: The Beaches", cornelia dean surveys current water levels on beachfronts on our coast. she identifies current consequences, including a dramatic increase in sea walls constructed to stem tides. however, "boxed" seas will continue to rise, and crowded sands will crawl over shorelines.
"Mexico's Populist"
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F00911F83A550C748DDDAF0894DE404482
the recent debate on illegal immigration obscures an important issue: local politics in mexico has failed. vicente fox proposed a series of reforms to promote business and open trade. however, his reforms have largely benefitted a clustered elite, and poverty in mexico continues to increase.
the article connects obrador's candidacy to a rising independence in latin america. yet, he feels obrador is distinguished from recent populist leaders in venezuela, bolivia, and peru by his pragmatism. obrador hopes to industrialize mexico's economy and end systemic poverty and corruption. for example, he suggests policies to stem poverty through working class reforms, including a high sales tax which disproportionately impacts the poor. profiles mexican presidential candidate andrés manuel lópez obrador. o obrador is very spiritied, and he compares this election to the 1910 revolution of porfiro diaz against the noble elite.
*********
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=612
deja vu in iraq
the death of al Zarqawi, the former chief of al qaeda in iraq, is an important accomplishment for our military. al Zarqawi has spearheaded a consistent, militant terrorism that has disrupted american efforts for peace. is the united states gaining traction in iraq? the military has developed a safe and secure capital in the green zone, and iraq now has a positive track of early democratic governance.
yet, we also know that Zarqawi's death will not end terrorism against our troops, Iraqi policemen, or Iraqi civilians. In American Prospect, matthew yglesias argues that israel's example proves that there is no military solution against terrorism. yglesias writes: "Better tactics, better operational counterterrorism, doesn’t alter the strategic situation -- the attacks keep on coming. What’s needed to end the war isn’t better tactics, but an end to the war, a political settlement of the issues in dispute." israel has tracked and killed multiple major leaders of multiple major terrorist organizations; however, attacks in the territories persist. indeed, palestinians recently rejected fatah, a moderate, secular political party, to elect Hamas, a radical militant organization.
for example, he explains that the most successful american operation in iraq was the coordinated agreement with muqtada al sadr. while sadr was pinned by United States forces, his militia holed into a mosque for protection. while the american military initiated action, ayatollah sistani pressed the u.s. to arrange a political settlement.
american military initiated . . . however, yglesias maintains that american military involvement may be aggravating the terrorist insurgency and preventing iraqi society from expelling the terrorists.
an inconvenient truth, a recent documentary and book by al gore, documents the increasing scientific consensus on global warming. gore maintains that the climate crisis presents the single, most significant crisis we have faced. research demonstrates that as the ice caps continue to melt, the sea level continues to rise. as the seas and oceans rise, low land plains and marshes will begin to flood. for example, gore explains that southern florida and lower manhattan will completely flood.
critics maintain that extant science is inconsistent, and that global warming trends may mirror earlier global temperature swings. however, gore explains that current trends far outpace historical changes and significantly skew natural weather patterns, including hurricanes. in "Next Victim of Warming: The Beaches", cornelia dean surveys current water levels on beachfronts on our coast. she identifies current consequences, including a dramatic increase in sea walls constructed to stem tides. however, "boxed" seas will continue to rise, and crowded sands will crawl over shorelines.
"Mexico's Populist"
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F00911F83A550C748DDDAF0894DE404482
the recent debate on illegal immigration obscures an important issue: local politics in mexico has failed. vicente fox proposed a series of reforms to promote business and open trade. however, his reforms have largely benefitted a clustered elite, and poverty in mexico continues to increase.
the article connects obrador's candidacy to a rising independence in latin america. yet, he feels obrador is distinguished from recent populist leaders in venezuela, bolivia, and peru by his pragmatism. obrador hopes to industrialize mexico's economy and end systemic poverty and corruption. for example, he suggests policies to stem poverty through working class reforms, including a high sales tax which disproportionately impacts the poor. profiles mexican presidential candidate andrés manuel lópez obrador. o obrador is very spiritied, and he compares this election to the 1910 revolution of porfiro diaz against the noble elite.
*********
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=612
deja vu in iraq
the death of al Zarqawi, the former chief of al qaeda in iraq, is an important accomplishment for our military. al Zarqawi has spearheaded a consistent, militant terrorism that has disrupted american efforts for peace. is the united states gaining traction in iraq? the military has developed a safe and secure capital in the green zone, and iraq now has a positive track of early democratic governance.
yet, we also know that Zarqawi's death will not end terrorism against our troops, Iraqi policemen, or Iraqi civilians. In American Prospect, matthew yglesias argues that israel's example proves that there is no military solution against terrorism. yglesias writes: "Better tactics, better operational counterterrorism, doesn’t alter the strategic situation -- the attacks keep on coming. What’s needed to end the war isn’t better tactics, but an end to the war, a political settlement of the issues in dispute." israel has tracked and killed multiple major leaders of multiple major terrorist organizations; however, attacks in the territories persist. indeed, palestinians recently rejected fatah, a moderate, secular political party, to elect Hamas, a radical militant organization.
for example, he explains that the most successful american operation in iraq was the coordinated agreement with muqtada al sadr. while sadr was pinned by United States forces, his militia holed into a mosque for protection. while the american military initiated action, ayatollah sistani pressed the u.s. to arrange a political settlement.
american military initiated . . . however, yglesias maintains that american military involvement may be aggravating the terrorist insurgency and preventing iraqi society from expelling the terrorists.
Monday, June 19
tummy time!!!
proud mama says:
aviyah is getting so strong. she was able to hold her head up for almost a whole minute.
aviyah is getting so strong. she was able to hold her head up for almost a whole minute.
mind trippin'
i do love aviyah! but, i also want to stay me. (see grups* article below.) every week, i will try to post an entry with interesting articles i've read lately, including the internet links and a short synopsis of the article.
the article profiles grups*, a social group of thirtysomethings that wrestle with alternative ideas of adulthood and parenthood. how do we stay independent? how do we keep our passion? how do we reconcile our maturity with our individuality? how do we grow older and stay progressive?
deng chen was sent to america by his parents when he was 14 years old. his parents borrowed money from loan sharks in china to pay "snakeheads", or smugglers, to sneak chen into the states. chen struggled to survive, traveling up and down the eastern seaboard working in chinese food restaurants. in many ways, he is an american teenager: he struggles to understand society, his parents, and himself. the article explores two high profile contemporary issues: debt and immigration.
deputy editor david plotz is reading through the hebrew bible and commenting on interesting and obscure ideas and stories. plotz completed hebrew school as a child, but he explains that he is reading the stories as an unfamiliar and "unobservant" jewish adult. he was horrified by the story of dinah at a family bar mitzvah and dismayed that he had not heard the story before. his commentary follows a long jewish tradition of reading inside and outside the scripture, but his "newbie" insights and ideas are very interesting. what do they have in common with older readings? where do they diverge?
the past year, there has been a large debate over the integrity of wikipedia.org subject entries. wikipedia is an open source online encyclopedia created and managed by users. the convergence and collaboration of user knowledge and research has helped wikipedia develop a massive store of information. however, critics maintain that online entries can be changed and corrupted too quickly to be consistent or reliable. for example, a past entry for john sigenthaler, sr. charged that he conspired to assassinate former president john f. kennedy, jr. the entry was fraudulent and it was removed; however, it was posted on the website for 4 months. wikipedia.org has responded by creating a list of permanently and semi-permanently monitored articles. all proposed changes for these articles will be reviewed by assigned editors.
thomas freidman is consistently the most insightful and most interesting journalist i read. he is progressive and pragmatic, honest and diplomatic, realistic and hopeful. here, freidman writes that the untied states can continue our extraordinary expansion if we understand the central issue facing us today: energy. he explains that we are currently funding both sides of the war on terror: our own military and oil-rich autocratic governments that fund or foment terrorism. in the past, he explains that "green" has been derided as flimsy, hippy, and liberal. yet, he maintains that energy independence is patriotism: "green," he said recently, "is the new "red,white, and blue."
honorable mention:
(for sick video of dwade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2UvqxqKLfw)
point:
the article reviews the new policy statement on breastfeeding by the american academy of pediatrics. research increasingly shows the broad benefits for breastfed babies and nursing mothers. for example, research indicates that breastfeeding may decrease likelihood of infections and diseases, including breast cancer. policy reform is also credited with dramatic decreases in infant mortality in the developing world.
counter-point:
the author concedes that breastfeeding is most beneficial for mother and child. however, he seriously questions the expansive conclusions of singular research studies. he explains that research on humans is inherently limited. while we can draw significant correlations, we cannot assuredly prove causation.
Sunday, June 18
happy father's day!
samantha says:
aviyah and andrew spent the whole day together enjoying each other's company. they played on the baby einstein floor mat, napped on the family sofa, and watched the cubbies play the tigers.
Saturday, June 17
Friday, June 16
Thursday, June 15
Wednesday, June 14
Tuesday, June 13
little girl blue
i only really know 3 songs by heart, but i have known each of them since i was young. i learned "piano man" by billy joel for my 4th grade music class. (samantha loves me to sing this song.) for some reason, i memorized "just say no" by young mc when i was in middle school. (i know, it's so embarrassing!) i also know "cat's in the cradle" by harry chapin. i used to get so sad when i listened to it when i was younger. (did you know that ugly kid joe did a cover of this song? ugh.)
last night, aviyah found her hand for her first time by herself! she's staying awake for a little bit longer now, and i think she's sleeping more deeply for longer stretches at night. samantha and i both feel very lucky and very happy. what a cutie pie!
Monday, June 12
my girls
i've got sunshine on
a cloudy day.
when it's cold
outside,
i've got the month
of may. i guess
you'd say,
what can make me
feel this way?
my girl (my
gi)rl m(y girl) talkin'
'bout my girl
Sunday, June 11
its good to be home!!!
samantha says:
its been an eventful two weeks. on may 26th, we welcomed aviyah xiaolei into the world via c-section- OUCH!!! right after delivery, the tumor in my neck doubled in size and the surgery to remove it had to be moved up to june 7th. so now, here i am at home with a new baby and recovering from two surgeries but i am the happiest girl in the world. drew and i have dodged so many bullets in the last 10 months. we are so grateful and thankful that everything has worked out like it has, poo poo poo.
back in august, i found out that i had a rather large tumor in my neck/throat (two days before i found out i was pregnant). our super doctor, dr. portnoy was first able to rule out a malignancy- phew. then he monitored it throughout the pregnancy to make sure that it wasn't growing. i feel like our liitle aviyah is a little miracle because the tumor didn't really grow while she was in my belly. finally, he was able to remove it without complications, hope hope hope. we were expecting the worst when we went into the operating room. according to dr. portnoy, there was a large possibility that the tumor could have been on or near a nerve or artery and removing the tumor would have caused some neurological deficits or that it would have been so big that my jaw would have had to be broken to remove it. we were able to dodge those possibilities...yeah!!! and we have a beautiful baby girl on top of it all! yeah!!! we feel very lucky and are super grateful and thankful for everything that we have.
i also want to say THANK YOU to all our family and friends for all their support and help throughout this whole thing!!!
Saturday, June 10
Thursday, June 8
mommom, mommom
In the past, Brooklyn has been known for many things...The Brooklyn Dodgers, The Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Bagels, and now Aviyah Ravin!
i am her Mommom and this is a completely unbiased report.....
She is totally, & utterly ADORABLE. She is very quick responding to music, colors, and lights. Whilst i have been here, we have had tons of fun. She is not really able to do any shopping yet, but I am telling her the best places to dream about going to visit...Barneys, Burberry, & any golf pro shops close to her. She is hearing about the importance of pedicures, manicures & facials. A couple more visits and she should be up & ready to do the tour.
Her parents are doing a great job of providing a lot of tender loving care....she is swaddled, swooshed, sung to & swung till she falls asleep & is ready for the land of nod.
I had to care for her for 2 days whilst her mommy had serious surgery. Aviyah was a doll...She never gave me anything to worry about. i am very happy to have come see this beautiful baby, and I have had a great time bonding with her.
Next time she gets spoiled, but this time we followed the rules. YEA!! AVIYAH!!
Mommom,
Mommom
Wednesday, June 7
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
