Author: Manny Kagan

What Christmas & Hanukkah
Have In Common

Christmas and Hanukkah were celebrated at the same time only four times, in the last one hundred years. The last time, was in 1959, when Hanukkah fell on December 25^th, Christmas Day. The reason for this phenomenon is that they share different calendars. While the Jewish calendar counts the days that follow the lunar cycle, most of the rest of the world follows the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in October 1582.

The reasons and history behind Jesus Christ’s birthday falling on December 25^th, which is why Christmas is celebrated on that day, is full of mystery, since no one knows when he was actually born. His date of birth is not mentioned anywhere in The New Testament. His baptism as an adult was first mentioned at around 65 C.E. in the Evangelist gospel of St. Mark. Since then, there have been other speculations, but choosing the date December 25^th has a different basis. During the time of Ancient Rome, the Pagans there celebrated the holiday Saturnalia, between December 17 ^– 25. In the fourth century C.E., Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping to take the Pagan masses in with it. Since there was nothing Christian about Saturnalia, the leaders of the church proclaimed December 25^th to be Jesus’ birthday.

I found this legendary information online, as well as other legends about the reasons Jews celebrate Hanukkah, which commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 167 B.C.E. According to the tradition, Jews had risen up against the Greek Syrian oppressors led by the Maccabean brothers. It is called the Festival of Light because of a miracle that took place. After entering the Temple, Jews discovered that the oil needed to light the Menorah was damaged and only one vessel survived. It was supposed to last for one day, and instead it lasted eight days. As a result, there is a tradition to light a special candelabra called a Hanukiah, which nowadays appears in various forms, as long as there are eight light holders, plus one more, called the shamash. Candles replaced oil in the majority of them. The ninth candle, the shamash is the server to light the rest of the candles; one light a day, adding one more every day until all nine are lit on the last day. With both Christmas and Hanukkah there is a lot of light. In the center of San Francisco in Union Square a huge Christmas tree stands next to big Hanukiah. And yes, there something else they both have in common – presents, a lot of them. For some of you one of them could be my photo story book “42 Encounters in San Francisco”. Some of my readers have bought twenty books to give as gifts to their friends and relatives. The good thing about the book is that it can be a gift for other celebrations as well, and this is what all the holidays have in common. To find out what makes this book special, just go to Amazon.com and read the reviews and then order one (or a few), as long as supply lasts.

Enjoy and Share on Facebook.

P.S. There are a number of reasons why holidays, which bring light into the darkness, take place in the winter. One of them is so that I can take photos and to share them with you.

P.P.S.

My daughter Tamar, who edits my stories, suggested the following:

“If you would like to share this with your readers, there’s a great song from The Stephen Colbert Christmas Special, which aired in 2008, called Can I Interest You in Hannukah.

Do Not Keep Me As A Secret!
Smile And Please SHARE It With A Friend!

Cheers,

From Solitary Confinement in Prison
to UC Berkeley.

“The qualities that get people into prison may not be so different from the ones that get them into college.” Those are the words of Danny Murillo, who spent much of his life in prison, including many years in solitary confinement. I found out about him while reading an article in The New Yorker, “Out and Up” by Larissa MacFarquhar.

Murillo was born in the United States in 1979. Both of his parents came from Mexico. At fifteen, he was selling crack cocaine. Soon after he was arrested for kidnapping, carjacking and robbing a drug dealer. He was tried as an adult and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. As a validated gang member, he was put in solitary confinement, where he spent five years from 2005 to 2010. To help rehabilitate inmates in solitary confinement, and to not lose their minds, jail authorities put a box filled with books in the cell. After reading mostly fiction books, he had a conversation with an inmate in another cell, who encouraged him to read other, more substantive books. Though he never finished high school, reading help him discover a world he never knew existed. After reading “The 48 Laws of Power”, he thought, “Yo, I’m gonna be a fxxxing smart-ass criminal. When I go home, I’m gonna set up this drug empire and I’m gonna fxxxing make bank.””. But then, he read about Zen Buddhism, which made him feel that he didn’t need money anymore. After reading more, he decided that he wanted to get out of prison and to stay out. To get credentials, he started to take courses by mail. Another inmate there agreed to tutor him with math. They worked for two hours after dinner nearly every day for nine months, while yelling back and forth to each other from their cells. After Murillo was released from prison, he enrolled in Cerritos College. Now, he is a student at UC Berkeley.

There he met another fellow who had a similar background. Together they decided to create the “Underground Scholars Initiative”, an organization, which helps people like themselves, who are still in the prison systems or released, to become educated members of society, and never go back.

Our brain is very powerful and flexible at the same time. You might have heard of the expression “GIGO” – garbage in, garbage out. I am changing this expression into different “GIGO” – good in, good out. Regardless where you want to be in life, it requires effort. You just have to make a decision. Reading books might help (especially if it is “42 Encounters in San Francisco”)

A while back, I made a decision to put together a photo-story book to help bring a smile to your face. This was quite an effort on my side. Your share is much easier. Just go on Amazon.com, type “42 Encounters in San Francisco” or my name and voilà, a few days later you will have it at your door. If you haven’t made up your mind, and still need presents for the holiday, please READ the reviews of some of my readers.

William Miller
“This little gem was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed the excellent photos of San Francisco accompanied with thoughtful commentary interspersed with pearls of wisdom. This would make a great Holiday gift for family and friends.”

Vivian Holley
“There is something in this little gem for everyone. It is whimsical yet serious, beautiful yet it’s our city – everyday. It is eye opening and most of all, Enjoyable!”

Enjoy and Share with a friend on Facebook.

P.S. I decided to share with four images that for various reasons did not end up in this book.

Do Not Keep Me As A Secret!
Smile And Please SHARE It With A Friend!

Cheers,

Today is the Day

In the Sunday, November 27th Review section of The Wall Street Journal, I found an article titled “The Need to Read” by Will Schwalbe. The article begins with, “We all ask each other a lot of questions. But we should all ask one question a lot more often: “What are you reading?”

Personally, I read books on many different subjects. Some of them are about photography. I own quite a few books of the great photographers and keep buying new ones. Though I do not dare to compare my images to those of the great masters, I had to ask myself a question, who would be interested in viewing photographs of my encounters and especially to read my stories. Therefore, I asked a few of my first readers to express their feelings.

“Thank you for the wonderful book “42 Encounters in San Francisco.” I thoroughly enjoyed perusing the pictures and reading the stories that go along with them. It’s wonderful to see the city I know and love so well through your camera lenses in all its colorful glory. From the iconic style of city dwellers to the ubiquitous pigeons that reside here alongside us, you’ve captured the vibe of San Francisco and its denizens wonderfully! I am excited to see what the next 42 Encounters holds. Great work!”

Jason Randle

“I always learn new things from you. You are quite the story teller. Tying in your stories with your perspective thru photos is quite interesting. I enjoy your Friday publication of Encounters and know the book will be just as good as those or better.”

Fay Hoffman

“Just wanted to drop you a note and tell you how much I enjoyed your book…the amount of thought and detail that went into each of your 42 tales was quite impressive…you have a keen eye not just for photography but also for human spirit…well done”

George Borges

Today I have a special request. You have many books to choose from. If you choose to buy “42 Encounters in San Francisco”, I guarantee you won’t regret it, and will keep enjoying and sharing it with friends. Today is the day: If you wish to help the book become a best seller on Amazon.com, please buy it today. Enjoy and Share on social media.

P.S. I hope that my four images will tell their own stories. But sometimes written words can add a special flair.

Do Not Keep Me As A Secret!
Smile And Please SHARE It With A Friend!

Cheers,

Some Thoughts After Thanksgiving

Have you ever wondered why turkey is the traditional meal on the Thanksgiving table? The common tale is that after the colonists arrived in Plymouth in 1621 and had their first harvest, they expressed their gratitude to God by having a turkey for their feast, since turkeys were plentiful in the fields.

No one really knows what the pilgrims ate during the celebration. However millions of people have chosen to follow the tradition. As it turns out, this is likely just a legend.
To make my point, let me share with you another turkey story.

A husband noticed that that his wife cuts both ends of the turkey before putting it into the oven. When he asked her why, she referred him to her mother, who, in turn, sent him to her mother. When he asked Granny, she said that when she was growing up, her mom had a small pot. For the turkey to fit in, she cut both ends. And so it goes. Both of those stories demonstrate how often we believe in stories and try to convince others without finding the source.

By the time I am writing this story, Thanksgiving is over and the turkey has been digested. Though during some Thanksgiving gatherings, some families had difficulty digesting the results of the recent election of our 45th President-elect, Donald Trump.

Fortunately for all of us, Thanksgiving is followed with “Black Friday”, during which people of different beliefs and affiliations pursue the same goal. As a bottom line, we all want the same – give presents and receive them, preferably while buying them at the discounted price.

The term “Black Friday” was coined in the 1960s to mark the kick off of the holiday shopping season. “Black” refers to stores moving from the “red” to “black” at the time when records were written by hand and red ink indicated loss and black – profit.
The “Black Friday” tradition crossed the boundaries of the United States and is now followed in other countries as well.

For me, “Black Friday” offered the opportunity “to shop” with my camera, since I needed the right images for this story, though I also contributed to the economy by buying a pair of new jeans at 50% off the price.

Enjoy and Share on Facebook. Please like my author’s page on Facebook.com/42encounters.

P.S. As you know by now, my photo-story book, “42 Encounters in San Francisco” is ready. My goal is for more people to enjoy it. And perhaps, to make it a best seller on Amazon! I could use your help. Next Friday, December 9th please log on to Amazon.com and buy the book and use social media to encourage others to do the same. It is a marvelous gift for the coming holidays and other occasions. Start your personal collection. I guarantee you will enjoy it very much, and if it will not help you smile, please return it for a full refund. I am grateful to you in advance.

P.P.S. A letter from one of my early readers:

“As an immigrant who calls San Francisco home, I have enjoyed reading your book and its pictures very much. The book has captured the never ending colorful moments of San Francisco spectacularly and the little timeless stories just make this book delightful.

I look forward to sharing your book with friends and family who visit and would like to place an order for 20 copies to gift to my very San Franciscan clients this holiday season.

Thank you, Manny, for loving San Francisco and keeping it alive and authentic”

Kajal Pashmi

Do Not Keep Me As A Secret!
Smile And Please SHARE It With A Friend!

Cheers,

Mount Davidson

Three months ago I decided to share my experiences from the streets of our beautiful city with you. After a recent visit to Mt. Davidson, which I wrote about a few weeks ago, I decided to add it to my list of special places. Since we live close to this nature wonder, I often walk up there early on weekend mornings, to witness the sunrise.

Mount Davidson is the highest natural point in our city with an elevation of 928 feet. It is one of the “Seven Hills”; San Francisco is known for – Telegraph Hill, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Ricon Hill, Twin Peaks, Mount Davidson and Lone Mountain or Mount Sutro (I will share stories and images with you about those in the future). There are actually 43 hills in San Francisco, each offering great views of the city. It is not surprising that real estate prices in those areas are so high, since the views command higher prices. But let’s go back to our original destination. Before Adolf Sutro (who deserves his own special story) purchased the land in 1881, it was called “Blue Mountain”. It was renamed for George Davidson, who among many other accomplishments was the president of the California Academy of Sciences. In 1911 Sutro’s appraiser, A.S. Baldwin, bought this land from his heirs and began plans to develop Forest Hill, St. Francis Wood, Westwood Park, Balboa Terrace and Monterey Heights, where our house was built in 1928.

Mount Davidson Park is located near the geographical center of the city. It can be reached by the 36 Teresita Muni Line, if you prefer not to drive, or by foot, if you do not mind walking up the steep hill. In 1923 a wooden cross was erected on the top of the hill, only to be burned down. It was replaced and burned down again. In 1929, 20 acres at the top of Mount Davidson was purchased by the City of San Francisco for use as a park. After a number of crosses were burned down in 1934, the 103-foot high concrete and steel cross became a permanent fixture. This area holds Sunrise Services every Easter. In 1991 a number of organizations sued the City over the ownership of the cross. Instead of the demolition of this historical monument, it was sold for $26,000 to the Council of Armenian American Organizations of Northern California, which installed a bronze plaque at the base to honor the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide.

Unlike other hills, Mount Davidson does not have many visitors (except, of course, on Easter). I usually only meet some of our neighbors there, who come to this beautiful place with their dogs. It is often covered by fog; but when the sky is clear, it offers panoramic views from downtown to the hills of San Bruno. When I get there, it is still dark, but then gradually the sky grows brighter, eliminating the hills on the other side of San Francisco Bay, from where his majesty the Sun makes his daily appearances every morning. Enjoy and Share.

P.S. Please let me know if you want to join me on one of my walks to Mount Davidson. As the days get shorter, it can be after 6 am. Until then, please enjoy these four images of the beautiful sunrise. In the future, I might put together a book of the sunrise images I’ve taken all over the world. Meanwhile, please buy “42 Encounters in San Francisco” at encounterspublishing.com. This is an endorsement that I received from one of my readers, Marc Litton.

Dear Manny,

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book and marveling at the pictures. I really think you captured San Francisco as San Franciscans know this great city. Great, as you clearly know, because of its wonderful diversity and rich cultural history. What I really enjoyed most was your melding of serendipitous thoughts on your subjects with quintessential aspects of the city. It was like enjoying a delightful dream, which I guess, from your comments, is how you view life in this city. I also think it was important to work a picture of yourself in your book and I was happy to see it on the last page. I can’t wait to see your next installment.

 Cheers, Marc

Do Not Keep Me As A Secret!
Smile And Please SHARE It With A Friend!

Cheers,