Sam Mirando

My Comments (634 so far…)

Dear Margo: Nice Touch: 'But, Honey, All These Women Look Like You!'

Margo, your dear mother said it all. About marriage, she said, "Are you better off with him or without him?" About the neighbor, she said, "Nobody can take advantage of you unless you let them." Words to live by and applicable to many many situations. Add to them, "When in doubt, do the right thing," and one barely needs any other advice at all.

What book that you know you should read – but haven't gotten around to yet – haunts you from your bedside table?

Books I haven’t read but should’ve? "Moby Dick" and anything by Hemingway, Philip Roth and John Cheever. When I look at that list, it’s amazing that I’ve read anything at all but I guess my European background shows. :)

Fear and Loathing in the Dining Room, by Margo Howard

I wonder how long it will take before my post disappears :) :) :) LOL, indeed, Franny Em.

Fear and Loathing in the Dining Room, by Margo Howard

Do you remember the cookies from the "Erotic Bakery"? A man bought some and tasted one of them. "These taste like $#!t," he said. The baker replied, "You have to turn them over."

Fear and Loathing in the Dining Room, by Margo Howard

Right on, Phyllis! Martha Stewart is to most women in the kitchen as Puss in Boots is to all cats! Did I tell you that I met her late last year? She was walking into a party of very distinguished scientists and their spouses and looked a bit lost. I was standing by the door, waiting for my husband, so I said to her, "You look as if you don’t know anyone here either." "I know plenty of people here," she replied snootily and swept right past me. Nice, Martha, very nice!

Fear and Loathing in the Dining Room, by Margo Howard

"I don’t want to serve up any meals for anybody other than my husband and me"

Does that mean that I can’t come for lunch anymore? Waaaaahhhhhh!!!!

Vanity Fair: How Could Madoff Sons Not Have Known About Dad's Scheme?

Susan, I am not a religious person but I appreciate your kind words. Moreover, I think you are quite right that I will feel cleaner in my soul (whatever that might be) if I don’t go to court. Your comments remind me of those of a wise friend, long gone, who said, "When in doubt, do the right thing." Thank you for steering me in the direction of "the right thing."

Mr. Wow on the Rise and fall and Rise and ... What? – of Sarah Palin

An English accent, Phyllis, dear? Are you implying that an English accent is a handicap? Or even looking like Phyllis Schlafly (Shaftly? A mistake or a clever pun??)?

As for Ms. Palin, the best way to expunge her from the national conscience is to ignore her. Every second of airtime is publicity and we all know that "all publicity is good publicity." Not to mention that I noticed on Huff Post that Letterman’s ratings rose hugely as a result of his spat with Ms. P. Those guys know what they are doing - the only difference is that Letterman KNOWS that he is an entertainer; Ms. P. can’t figure out the difference between being an entertainment and being a statesman (and I refuse to say "stateswoman," even on WOW).

What should the U.S. do IF the Iranian election was not honest? And if it was, did the outcome set us back?

It is none of our business (that is to say, it is not our business to intervene or advise) but that doesn’t mean that we cannot care deeply and admire the courage of those who have been killed and beaten for standing up for what they believe. I have been following the live blogging on Huff Post. How can one fail to be moved and concerned when one reads, for example, the following:

6:03 PM ET [on Tuesday evening, US time] — "What I have witnessed." A powerful note from a female medical student in Iran, translated from Farsi by a trusty reader.

Hello,

It’s painful to watch what’s happening.

I don’t want anything to do with what has been said this far, as I neither have the strength nor the resilience to face all these unfathomable events.

I only want to speak about what I have witnessed. I am a medical student. There was chaos last night at the trauma section in one of our main hospitals. Although by decree, all riot-related injuries were supposed to be sent to military hospitals, all other hospitals were filled to the rim. Last night, nine people died at our hospital and another 28 had gunshot wounds. All hospital employees were crying till dawn. They (government) removed the dead bodies on back of trucks, before we were even able to get their names or other information. What can you even say to the people who don’t even respect the dead. No one was allowed to speak to the wounded or get any information from them. This morning the faculty and the students protested by gathering at the lobby of the hospital where they were confronted by plain cloths anti-riot militia, who in turn closed off the hospital and imprisoned the staff. The extent of injuries are so grave, that despite being one of the most staffed emergency rooms, they’ve asked everyone to stay and help—I’m sure it will even be worst tonight.

What can anyone say in face of all these atrocities? What can you say to the family of the 13 year old boy who died from gunshots and whose dead body then disappeared?

This issue is not about cheating(election) anymore. This is not about stealing votes anymore. The issue is about a vast injustice inflicted on the people. They’ve put a baton in the hand of every 13-14 year old to smash the faces of "the bunches who are less than dirt" (government is calling the people who are uprising dried-up torn and weeds) .

This is what sickens me from dealing with these issues. And from those who shut their eyes and close their ears and claim the riots are in opposition of the government and presidency!! No! The people’s complaint is against the egregious injustices committed against the people.

Vanity Fair: How Could Madoff Sons Not Have Known About Dad's Scheme?

Thanks for your kind words. I am, among Madoff’s victims, one of the lucky ones because we had been heavily diversified and only a few of our eggs were in Madoff’s basket. However, we lost our safety net, the money we hoped to leave to our children. I am resigned to our loss and, if I get something back from SIPC, the IRS or the State (for the capital gains taxes we paid on non-existent capital gains), I shall be surprised and happy.

Vanity Fair: How Could Madoff Sons Not Have Known About Dad's Scheme?

By the way, I’m a victim and if you want to know my socioeconomic background, here it is:

My parents were penniless refugees from Hitler. I came to the USA for my graduate education and lived off my small stipend until I married a young academic, whose parents also came, penniless, from Europe. We have had some financial good fortune, as a result of our own efforts, but we sent our children to the local public schools and still live in the house we bought in the early eighties, which we have fixed up. I am, as I write this, wearing pants and shirt from LLBean, shoes from Talbots Outlet, and a t-shirt from a sale at Ann Taylor. Each of these items is more than two years old. I have just made myself a vegetarian stew of onions, carrots, celery and beans. I don’t drink, smoke, wear make-up or gamble.

Vanity Fair: How Could Madoff Sons Not Have Known About Dad's Scheme?

If you go to this link on Huffington Post, you can read 113 letters from people who lost their life savings with Madoff: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/15/madoff-victims-statements_n_215…

From the letters, which are available from a third-party website, you can determine for yourself what kind of people he robbed, in addition to the Steven Spielbergs and other big names.

Vanity Fair: How Could Madoff Sons Not Have Known About Dad's Scheme?

My comment about the penthouse is based on material in the NY Times last Sunday:

Even in her exile, Mrs. Madoff’s world is rapidly getting smaller. Victims of the scheme are pushing the bankruptcy trustee and federal prosecutors to sell anything they can, including the couple’s penthouse, which was used to help secure Mr. Madoff’s bail; it could be seized after Mr. Madoff’s sentencing, which is scheduled for June 29.

Vanity Fair: How Could Madoff Sons Not Have Known About Dad's Scheme?

I suspect that Ruth and the boys will see some serious action once Bernie is put away for good on June 29. The penthouse has been used to secure his bail and, when he has been sentenced, bail will no longer be an issue.

As a victim and because, for other reasons, I shall be in NYC on the 29th, I am wondering whether to go to the sentencing or not. What do you think?

Liz Is Away ... Have Any Gossip?

Gossip? I heard a few people in Tehran decided to take a stroll down the main drag (or was that hundreds of thousands of people?).

And the victims of Madoff’s Ponzi scheme wrote a bunch of letters to the judge, asking for clemency… or did I get that wrong too (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/15/madoff-victims-statements_n_215… )?