WALKING IN THE RAIN

The lyrics to the song “Walking in the Rain with The One I Love”, came to mind during our recent trip to Portland, Oregon; where we came to celebrate Chanukah with our granddaughter and her parents. We have been there many times, but it was our first raining experience. It was good that my wife Elfa reminded me to pack my raincoat, because on Sunday morning we had some free time and decided to walk in the rain.

There’s an area in Portland called Nob Hill, on NW 23^rd Avenue. It is one of the oldest areas of Portland and within a few blocks there are many Victorian buildings with restaurants, cafés, boutiques and a fabulous bookstore, where we spent an hour browsing through books. When we stepped out with a bag full of books, the rain stopped, and suddenly the empty streets were filled with people. I was surprised to find out that it rains more in Portland (43 inches) than in Seattle (38 inches), annually. And it is no wonder that Portland is surrounded by the lush, beautiful nature.

Photographing a carpet of yellow leaves on the sidewalk, through my umbrella, reminded me that Portland has four seasons. It also has Mount Tabor Park, where my three ladies enjoyed a stroll in the drizzling rain. I was not surprised to capture a photo of a man, who collected empty cans, and was carrying an umbrella as well.

Along with my heartfelt season’s greetings and best wishes of Merry Christmas, I am sending you a reminder that my new book “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to Accomplish Financial Comfort” has quite a few images of beautiful nature. You are welcome to order the book by clicking on this link.

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GREETINGS FROM BERLIN

We recently returned from a three week-long vacation. This time, we went on a Viking Cruise Line on the Danube River through Eastern Europe (strongly recommend). Our trip started in Berlin, where my wife’s brother and his family reside. They moved there many years ago. And as a result, we’ve visited Berlin and traveled through Germany’s beautiful countryside many times. Berlin can be an interesting city to visit for many reasons, and in the past, I crisscrossed it on foot (which drove my wife crazy and tired her out).

This time, we mostly focused on seeing our family, but we did venture out to visit the former Jewish neighborhood Mitte, which has become a popular destination for tourists as well as for locals. Real estate prices in this part of Berlin have gone up significantly. Berliners are different from people living in other parts of Germany or Europe. It is the only city where people have objected my photographing them. I do not know the reason, but in the past, I was not comfortable to be here. Was it subconscious? After all, I was born in Riga, Latvia in 1947. It was occupied by the Nazis, and most of mine and my wife’s aunts and uncles were killed by the Germans and their collaborators.

After the end of WWII, Germany recognized its role in the Jewish genocide and created an environment where the expression of antisemitism was prohibited. They established a fund to compensate survivors, many of whom moved to Israel. It also developed close business relationships between the two countries. Even though there are over five million Muslims living in Germany, it has deep support for Israel during the war against Hamas. My prayers of peace are for both Israelis and Palestinians. I believe that after Hamas rulers are going to be removed, the two neighbors will finally get closer. During our visit to the Jewish Quarter, I photographed brass plaques on the sidewalks, as well as a sculpture of Jewish Victims at the entrance to a Jewish school named after Moses Mendelssohn.

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CHOOSE LIGHT!

Tonight, December 8^th, is the second night of the Jewish Holiday, Hanukkah. It commemorates events which took place almost 2,200 years ago. It was a dark period in history in the Land of Israel, which was occupied by the Seleucid Empire. The miracle happened when a small source of light dispelled the darkness. This is why this holiday is called the Festival of Lights.

According to the Torah, the light was one of the first creations, “And God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:3). Now the question is – can we do the same? My answer is yes. We just need to let light in our hearts, to enable us to use our moral compass. There is always light and darkness. Choose light.

The word “photography” means “drawing with light”. One of my forthcoming photo books has the title, “42 Encounters with Illumination”, which is going to be ready in 2024. Meanwhile, my new book, “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to accomplish Financial Comfort” may shed some light for people who are retired or are planning to be. Please order the book here and write a review when you have it read.

The above images of light reflecting in the water were captured during our recent trip to Eastern Europe on the Danube River. I will share some of my travel experiences with you in the coming weeks.

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THE SPIRIT OF GIVING THANKS

In the spirit of Thanksgiving

I would like to say to all of you:

Thank You!

THE MORAL DILEMMA

“I know that I know nothing” is a saying derived from Plato’s account of the Greek philosopher Socrates, became my favorite expression. In spite of all the knowledge and life experiences I have, in reality when it comes to the moral issues, there can be huge division between points of view. It is difficult, but just imagine that the intruder broke into your house, raped your daughter, killed your wife and took your son hostage. After that he ran into his house and hid behind his children. You know that the only way to get your son back you need to kill the intruder. Unfortunately, you will have to kill his children as well. However, if you will not do that, he will kill you and all of your other children, brothers and sisters and will take over your country. I will let you come with the answer. Recent war in Gaza created confusion in many people’s minds. To have a better understanding, I decided to share with you some of the information I lately came across.

We will start with the article “How Hamas Won Hearts and Minds on the American Left” by Lorenzo Vidino, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal on Friday, November 3, 2023. I wrote about Antisemitism before. However, this time it comes from the Islamist sources, which use lies to distort their true objective, being fueled by Iran. They know that they cannot kill all the Israelis, and get Muslim state from the river to the sea, however it is a very good opportunity to divide the Western World, which lost its moral compass. History has shown that all the powers which tried to destroy Judaism have economic and social problems. Just take a look on the list of empires which occupied the Land of Israel. Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Persia, Rome, Ottomans, British. You can also take a look on the list of countries  and their attitude toward Jews over the centuries. I recently watched a video on YouTube “7 Things pro-Palestinians Forgot to Tell You” from travelingisrael.com. I hope it will give you a better understanding of what is behind the Israel-Palestinian conflict. And if you still have your moral dilemma and would like to join one of the many protests, please read information from Gershon Winkler.

Being an optimist, I live by the principle “That is also for good.” However, it takes time to realize what good is. There is a saying “While I breathe, I hope.” I do.

I had a challenge which images will go with this story. I decided to use portraits of joyful people from my book “42 Encounters with Laughter.” Often laughter is the only remedy against sadness. My next book “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to Accomplish Financial Comfort” is going to be available next week. Please look for the special announcement.

Best wishes,

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT

Last Sunday, we returned from a three weeks journey to Eastern Europe. We started in Berlin, then flew to Bucharest, and from there we traveled on the Viking Rinda cruise on the Danube River to Vienna, Austria, visiting six more countries along the way. While we have taken ocean cruises before, this was our first river journey. The last two were with Norway’s Hurtigruten Expeditions to Alaska, and prior to that, we went along Norway’s Fiords. Both were remarkable. Nevertheless, for many years we would receive Viking’s brochures, and the itinerary was very appealing. More information about Viking’s European River Cruises is available at this link.

There were only 190 passengers on board, being served by 50 crew members who were incredibly good and caring. In the morning, we usually took a trip to the new city or town either on the bus or on foot, accompanied by a guide. We visited many churches and synagogues, explored countryside and learned a lot about the local history and culture. There were additional trips offered for a fee, but we felt what we had was enough. All the guests were from different parts of the United States or Canada. During the meals, we changed tables and had the opportunity to meet different people. In my observation, the average age was around seventy and the majority of the guests were retired.

We learned that people traveled on Viking many times. There was one couple for whom it was their thirteenth trip. We befriended one couple from Arizona who already made reservations for two for next year’s journeys. I’ve heard that some couples travel on ships for a long time. For example, you can take a trip from December 20, 2023, till May 6, 2024, and visit 57 ports for about $55K per person, plus extra excursions, laundry and tips. But then your life is completely taken care of. There are many more affordable itineraries. Of course, not everyone has enough savings to undertake such a life. However, there are some ways to finance your retirement journeys. This is why I I’ve written the book titled “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to Accomplish Financial Comfort.”  The book is going to be selling on Amazon soon. I’ll let you know as soon as it is available for purchase.

Meanwhile, in the weeks to come I will be posting more stories about each stop we had made during our river cruise.

Here are three images from our trip.

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EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE

I like flowers, and not just to photograph.

Recently, I planted fifty multicolored tulips in our garden. However, there is one flower which I only like to photograph – dandelions. They are weeds and mess up our lawn. Until recently, the solution was to pull them up; however, the roots remain, and they come back. I finally decided to stop my bending exercises and bought a weedkiller, and it worked. But ironically, dandelions are edible weeds, every part of them. They are full of vitamins A, B, C and D, and have many health benefits. I like to drink tea made from dandelions and there is even a chocolate maker in San Francisco called Dandelion Chocolate. Folklore suggests that when you blow on a dandelion puff, your dreams and wishes will be carried on the wind to eventually come true.

We know in life, everything is relative. How about reverse mortgages? Some people have negative opinions about them, until they learn how they can help folks to retire. This is why I wrote a book titled, “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to Accomplish Financial Comfort.”

In the book you will find how many people gain financial comfort after I’ve helped them get a reverse mortgage. Now they can afford besides other things, tea made from dandelions, as well as Dandelion Chocolate.

As I said, everything is relative. You will be able to buy the book on Amazon very soon. I will keep you posted.

Meanwhile, please enjoy the beauty of dandelions. And share it with a friend!

 

I HAVE EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE!

In 2012, I wrote my first book, “The Mortgage Game. 5 C’s and How to Connect Them”. I have just finished working on my new book, “Retirement Solutions for Smart People.™ How to accomplish financial comfort.” This one, which is my seventh book, is both informative as well as an expression of my love of nature. As you can guess from the title, the book is addressing a specific audience – those who are retired or planning to do so; basically, most of the Baby Boomers, as well the children whose parents are retired. Like my current client, a woman whose mom has an in-home-support system and is running out of money, but has plenty of equity in her home.

It is up to you to decide who can benefit from my knowledge and experience in helping thousands of clients to find mortgage solutions. After reading many books which have the word “retirement” in the title, I wrote a book completely different in nature and scope. To make the book more attractive, I decided to include photographs of nature.

As you will see, it is a very special book. It is also the second book in the Solutions for Smart People™ series. The first one was “Mortgage Solutions for Smart People™”. As time progresses, I am planning to share with you, smart people, about other subjects as well. Meanwhile, you can see the book’s front and back covers and one of the images from the book. Please stay tuned to my announcements to find out when the book becomes available for purchase.

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Special Invitation to
The Bay Area Open Art
Black & White Photo Exhibition

If you’ve known me for a while and have been reading “Fridays with Manny”, you know that I am amateur photographer (“amo” in Spanish and Portuguese means “I love you”; thus, amateur photographer is a lover of photography).

I have been interested in photography since the age of fourteen, but I became a photographer when I got my first digital camera about fifteen years ago. Since then, my skills have evolved. After publishing four photo-story books and calendars, I am comfortable to call myself a photo-artist.

During these years only once I had an opportunity to show my photography. Therefore, when the opportunity came along to participate in the group show, I said “yes”. The theme is “Black and White Images”, and I’ve chosen fifteen flowers that I have photographed earlier.

The show is going to be one day only, on Sunday, October 15^th,
at 1527 S B Street, San Mateo, CA 94402-2435
from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Hope you will come to the show! Meanwhile, please enjoy these three images. They are not going to be on display, nevertheless I thought you might like them.

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I CANNOT KEEP SILENT

Usually, I write my essays about my encounters or something that has a positive tone. However, when I opened the latest issue of AARP’s The Magazine, which has nearly 38 million members, I was surprised to find an article there, titled, “The Oldest Hatred”. They were interviews by Jane Eisner, which described antisemitism in America. “Antisemitism has persisted century after century, with the murder of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust its most horrific incarnation. Some Americans may have thought this prejudice was fading away, but it has gained momentum once again. What to make of today’s attacks on Jews, and what can be done about it.”

I was born and grew up in Riga, Latvia, when it was part of the then Soviet Union, and antisemitism was a way of life. We all had to learn how to adjust to the reality – difficulty to get jobs or to be admitted to certain colleges, or how to deal with thugs who hated Jews and called them kikes (zhids). It was expressed by both Latvians, who at the beginning of World War II in collaboration with the Nazis, murdered about 25,000 Jews in Rumbula Forest, near Riga, as well as the Russians, who represented a third of Riga’s population. We left antisemitism behind in January 1972, when we immigrated to Israel. After settling down in San Francisco in August 1980, I discovered a manifestation of antisemitism at the UC Berkeley campus. Hatred easily penetrates society. There are approximately 7.6 million Jews living in the US, which is only 2.4% of the total U.S. population. In Israel, there are about 7.1 million Jews, which is 73.6% of the total population. Antisemitism is the oldest form of hatred. The Nazis murdered one third of the world’s Jewish population because of their hate. Haters hate anyone who is doing better or is different from them, and Jews are an easy target. In my opinion, haters cannot be changed; however, others can be educated. In many countries in Europe, discrimination of and hatred of Jews, is considered a crime. In the United States, we have freedom of speech. That means that we must speak up against the spreading of hatred of others and not follow cheap social media propaganda. Instead, we can focus on spreading understanding, tolerance, and love for one other.

After I finished this rather long essay, I came across an article in the San Francisco Chronicle titled, “Racist remarks could spell end to public call-ins at City Hall”. I also saw on YouTube, a conversation between Elon Musk and Ben Shapiro with the participation of other important personalities about “Anti-Semitism and Free Speech” (have patience to watch/listen to the end).

These three roses contain seeds of beauty, which serve as a reminder of our task at hand. When we plant beauty with love and get rid of the weeds, we can have a beautiful garden.

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