The "Nicole Factor" Is Online

Welcome to the Nicole Factor at blogspot.com.
Powered By Blogger

The Nicole Factor

Search This Blog

Stage 32

My LinkedIn Profile

About Me

TwitThis

TwitThis

Twitter

Messianic Bible (As If the Bible Isn't)

My About.Me Page

Views

Facebook and Google Page

Reach Me On Facebook!

Talk To Me on Fold3!

Thursday, June 18, 2015

An Ethnocidal-Religiocidal 21-Year-Old & Nine Innocents: Why?

I am trying to understand how a man who's my age could be so hard-hearted and evil. What was his motive? Infamy? "Revenge" for the racism in this country of late--how does racist violence against innocents rectify any wrongs? Evil for evil?--maybe he had a grudge and racistly scapegoated? Trying to be cool and impress his fellow ex cons? Racism and crime are never cool. Suicide by cop and murder? Why didn't he take just himself in any case? Either way, he needs the death penalty--preferably by firing squad.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

My Dad's Paternal Family As a Mix of Anusim and B'nei Anusim, &c. (aka, A Summary For Those Whom Did Not Already Know)




My own family is a mix of Anusim and B'nei Anusim. Some of us are, admittedly, Jewish Christians, and we have become more sensitive to the way that we talk about our faith, etc.—at least I have, since my finding out about my heritage gave me some insight into where to draw lines, explained quite a bit of why, e.g., my family's Christmases and Easter were almost entirely secular in nature, and religious only in a going-through-the-motions way; &c.—c.q., trust me when I say that "The Night Before Christmas" was way more emphasized than the New Testament account of Jesus (if that was even talked about at all except for the going-through-the-motions wafer ceremony at dinner. As I found out later, the Catholic stuff was "tradition" and not at all out of any religious belief.).

Some of us, though, are in denial about our heritage  . My dad, who'd even been somewhat open to (if he didn't already about our heritage) accepting (or begrudgingly admitting) our heritage (as his dad implicitly did in his final days after years of denial), eventually became hostile to the fact that he we are Jewish. He called it "Jewish crap", too  .

As for my paternal granddad's paternal grandmother, e.g., she was furious when (as I heard and came to understand) my great-granddad married my great-grandmother, who was a very-committed Jewish Catholic and bat-Anusim. She did not believe in marriage for love, since she came from a family where shidduch was the minhag; and she was unthrilled that her son was marrying a Jesus-believing Jew. After all, she didn't become an Anusit during the pogroms, endure being cut off from her family, and have to live as an Anusit in the United States for her son to marry a, in her eyes, meshumadah.
Great-Granddad and Dad at Christmas
The Jesus picture was more of Great-Grandma's idea, and the secular aspects in every holiday were way more emphasized. BTW, Dad (left) eventually became one who'd be Reform Jewish were he honest with and for himself.
The Jack Czarnecki Family
As with above, the Jesus picture was more of Great-Grandma's idea; and the secular aspects in every holiday were way more emphasized. BTW, I found out later that my granddad (left) used to fall asleep in the back of the church from my aunt Mary (on my great-grandmother's lap. She was also the one who was told to choose between church and Christmas dinner during Christmas because "It's tradition" or something like that. "Tradition" was definitely the word that used, though. BTW, my aunt Mary was named for her grandmothers [the paternal one of whom was not the first daughter of her parents, I should note], not the mother of Jesus; and we have Sephardic heritage.)

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Afghan Buddhas & China, Jerusalem & the SCOTUS, &c.

In the same way that people are outraged over China's handling of Afghanistan's ancient Buddha statues and other Buddhist architecture, people would be more outraged about Jerusalem being stepped on by the SCOTUS and other (unintentional and intentional) Anti Semites if the Government of Israel held to the "Declaration of Establishment".

In other words, the SCOTUS and others, instead of doing what is right, are saying to Netanyahu and Agudat Yisra'el, "Why should we care about Jerusalem when you all are stepping on it, anyway? After all, you arrest an American oleh for eating a ham sandwich!"

By the way, I told you that Netanyahu and Agudat Yisra'el were trying to sell Israel to the "Palestinians"—you don't for example, propose an "establishment of a confederate Israeli-Palestinian state encompassing the territory of Israel, as well as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip" if you do not want a "Palestinian" state.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Cami's First Full Day Home


Having Cami home has been a series of ups and downs, and adjustments. The ups include Cami's learning of commands such as "Sit", Cami's and Reilly's development of a rapport, and loved ones' adulation of her—including the vet's good impression of her. The downs, on the other hand, include
Reilly's jealousy, Mom's failure to understand that Reilly was fine in picking up Cami by her scruff, and Cami's having accidents (including tonight, which is why she is currently on my lap—she awaits "Mimi" to change her crate towel).

At present, the 2.67-pound runt of her litter is on my lap—and hopefully staying there instead of falling off of my lap or climbing up onto the table, and hopefully not having an accident on my lap (Meanwhile, she just went back into "Mimi"'s arms; since she was whimpering and I decided to take all precautions to avoid my lap becoming her temporary potty pad.).



The brats already have a wonderful rapport and Cami even knows some commands &

The brats already have a wonderful rapport, and Cami even knows some commands & is adjusting well.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Reilly adjusting to having a 'cousin'.

Reilly adjusting to having a "cousin".

Camille.

Camille.

Camille Dominique is adusting to home.

Camille Dominique is adusting to home.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Short Story: Ditched

Author's note: I wrote this based on quite a few things, including how I just felt when I thought that I was the only person who was downstairs and, thus, unable to get Reilly up to my room for the night.


That was it...there it was...undeniably in front of her...facing her as much as she was facing—or at least having to face—it: the fact that she was ditched—abandoned—and now entirely alone—and helpless.

"...if you were the last person on Earth"—well, she was (or at least she felt like) the last person on Earth. The ridiculousness of that phrase finally revealed itself to her. 

"Nobody would help you if you were the last person on Earth because nobody else would be on Earth!" she thought to herself. "Shouldn't the phrase be '...the only other person on Earth', then?" Then again, her case fit the "last person on Earth" type of situation—she couldn't help herself now, and she couldn't help herself if she were the last person on Earth. 

"Then why should I even be on Earth?" she thought. Then again, she couldn't take her own life if she couldn't help herself for her own life; could she? Nonetheless, she was alone—she didn't even have any angels watching over her (let alone the Angel of the LORD tending to her —Elijah had Him to encourage him to at least eat and drink). 

If anything did  happen to her —G-d forbid —she'd at least write this epitaph down as part of her last will and testament for anyone whom would show up and find her. "At least throw me in a ditch if you must ditch me in my death as many ditched me in my life."

As she wrote her epitaph down, she realized that her sardonic humor was keeping her alive. "'Misery loves company'", she mused, "and 'two are better than one.'"

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Short Biography Pfc. Bernard "Bernie" Stanley Czarnecki, U.S. Army 111th Infantry Division Medical Corps (WW2, DOW)

(As originally written for and sent to family friends)

Born in Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania on March 15, 1920, Bernard Stanley Czerniecki was the youngest son of Ashkenazi Crypto-Jews Julian and Alexandria Andrulewicz Czerniecki. Entering the United States Armed Forces shortly before he turned 21 years old, Bernard (now Bernard "Bernie" Stanley Czarnecki) served in the 111th Infantry Division Medical Corps of the United States Army for exactly five years—from December 12, 1940 to December 12, 1945. Bernie enlisted shortly before his brothers Edward ("Ed")—who enlisted on January 21, 1943—and Joseph ("Susi")—who enlisted on February 17, 1941—did (Incidentally, Bernie either re-enlisted on the same day as Susi enlisted or did not have his original enlistment recorded until the day that Susi registered.).
Having received a shrapnel-effected wound in combat, Bernie underwent surgery to remove the shrapnel. Given that the surgery was botched, Bernie was discharged from the Army at the Newton D. Baker General Hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia. From Baker Hospital, he moved to the Veterans' Affairs Housing and Hospital complex in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Living at the VA Housing and Hospital complex in Lebanon for the rest of his life, he succumbed to his received-in-combat injuries on July 16, 1963 in the VA Hospital in Lebanon.

He died of Schizophrenia and a Coronary Occlusion as a result of his battle wars at 6:30 AM EST in the VA Hospital on that July 16th. Having an autopsy performed on him by Dr. A.H. Heisey of Quentin, Pennsylvania, he was not received by his family and the George Strish Funeral Home in Ashley, Pennsylvania until July 20th. Once he was received, he was buried in Holy Family Cemetery in Sugar Notch.

Pfc. Bernard "Bernie" Stanley Czarnecki, then, was:
  1. One of the Nazis' post-war victims of the Holocaust. Since Bernie came from a Crypto-Jewish family, he—along with his brothers Ed and Susi, along with his other family members—was a target of the Nazis solely on account of his Jewish heritage.
  2. An unrecognized Jewish-American soldier of World War Two. Whether he even received a Purple Heart is unknown, and he has nobody who the Department of Veterans' Affairs considers to be a next-of-kin family member who may claim.
  3. A Jew who had to go through the additional agony of having an autopsy performed on him—since Jewish tradition forbids autopsies except for in cases when the law and/or extenuating circumstances require that an autopsy is to be performed on the Jewish decedent in question.*
*All information comes from documents that were found on Ancestry.com, Bernie's nephew Anthony "Tony" John Czarnecki, Jr. (1946-2014) and other family sources, and prior knowledge. 

Great-Granduncles Bernard, Joseph, and Edward



Friday, May 22, 2015

Thursday, May 21, 2015

יהוה As My Witness, I Am Telling This True Story




When I was outside and Reilly saw the neighbors' dog Leo (to whom she takes a particular affinity), she bolted out of her coat (the buckle of which she had chewed and made loose) and to the fence. She interacted with and chased Leo, who was the one who came to the fence in the first place (and his human mother had to pick him up to get him back over to his house—and imagine picking up an about-two-years-old Border Collie mix who could bolt over to see Reilly like that! Yes; I was perhaps a bit of a jerk for recording it, too, admittedly—running over would have made the situation worse, though. Besides, I can't run! Also, staying and recording the video does give me: firstly, a memory to share with others; and secondly, corroborating evidence that I did nothing wrong.).

I did eventually coax Reilly into the house with a promise of peanut butter. Incidentally, she did get some exercise on this rainy day and while "Mom-Mom" and the UMBC alumna known as "Auntie Michelle" were at Michelle's commencement ceremony and on a visit to Reilly's "Great Mom-Mom". 




...

More progress

More progress

More progress

More progress

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

The Graduate's Walk: A Short Story

She elegantly walked down the staircase and into the lobby of the hotel as she prepared to leave for the stadium. Why did her going to a stadium involve poise, decorum, and care in the way that she moved on her feet? A stadium! Why?

 "You're participating in your commencement ceremony—that's why! You could be participating in your commencement ceremony at the local Walmart® and staying at a half-star motel beforehand; and I'd still expect the same amount of decorum from you"—so her mother admonished her. She grumbled, although she did know that a commencement ceremony was not a casual event and daily motion—her mother, thus, had a point about her carrying herself in a formal manner for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of academic achievement

She walked to the stadium with scholarly class, then —and she even made the Color Guard at the typical Ravens games look as if they were futzing-around schlubs whom were playing "Capture the Flag" or "Flag Football". Then there she stood —at the Ravens Stadium she stood —and she was prepared to walk across the set-up-and-take-down stage platform to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Paralegal Certificate....

As she took the documentations of her college completion and certification training in her hand, she walked out of the Ravens Stadium with the formality of a distinguished college graduate and a summa-cum-laude-endowed political scientist and paralegal.


Embedded image permalink

In honor of Michelle Czarnecki (UMBC '15), whom will participate in her commencement ceremony at Royal Farms (formerly First Mariner) Arena. Michelle Czarnecki will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Progress on the other plants. The one bud is kind of hard to see.

Progress on the other plants. The one bud is kind of hard to see.

When Mama Bird first returned.

When Mama Bird first returned.

Mama Bird returned with a bug for her chirppers.

Mama Bird returned with a bug for her chirppers.

Progress on my apple-tree plants

Progress on my apple-tree plants

Sunday, May 17, 2015

I Told You Who Are Lewd Web Users, Get My Content Off Your Website

You do realize that the FBI and other organizations, e.g., can track you all down as well, correct? As I said, I don't condone lewdness; and I will call the lewd web users—including ones who have sex-trafficking websites—out.

Referring URLs

Referring Sites