How to configure Windows Live Writer for Blogger

I was simply fed up with wasting so much time trying to remove ghost lines from my Blog posts in that pathetic little editor that Google give us.

I’d delete the line and publish the change and the line would magically reappear. I’d change one word and lose all the justification of the paragraph. I’d spend ages trying to put that picture on the page where I wanted it only to publish and find that it was somewhere else. I had simply had enough! I started looking around for an alternative way to write my Blogger post.

I tried writing in Word and saving as an html file, then pasting the text into the Google Blogger editor. However, Word’s html gave it indigestion. I had to edit the html so much to get Blogger to swallow it that it simply wasn’t worth it.

I tried a simple html editor and that was OK except that I couldn’t embed any pictures into the text. I had to first paste the html text then use Google’s Blogger editor to add the pictures. This messed up the html text defeating the purpose of using the html editor in the first place.

I did a search on Google for Blogger editors and found quite a few commercial packages out there. However I was looking for a free solution and I’m glad to say that I have found one. Microsoft’s Windows Live Writer.

Windows Live Writer allows you to create, edit, insert links and pictures and publish directly to your Blogger blog at a click of a button. You can save it as a local draft or post it to Blogger as a draft. This is all done in a very intuitive and uncomplicated WYSIWYG environment. There were initial problems which would have discouraged the non-techy but you will be pleased to know that I’ve done all the work for you and I present below a guide for you to install and configure Windows Live Writer so that you can start writing and posting Blogger posts as easily as writing a Word document.

Windows Live Writer can be downloaded from here:

http://download.live.com/writer

Go to the page and set the language you require in the dropdown box then click on the “Download” button directly below it.

Once downloaded, run the file and you will be presented with the following screen:

Uncheck all the options except “Writer”.

It is important to Close all browser windows. (It’s a good idea to close all currently running application).

Don’t be concerned if the installation takes a bit of time. For some reason it is quite slow. It should take about 5 minutes.

Eventually you will arrive at the following screen. Select the last option.

The next screen will ask you for your Blogger address, Username and Password. Obviously it needs this information in order to automatically log into Blogger for you so that it can publish your created post.

Next you’re get a a completely unnecessary screen. Microsoft wants to change your default Search provider and home page to Microsoft’s own. This is a real chutzpa. It also wants you to agree to Windows Live Writer sending Microsoft information about your use of the tool for their own knowledge. Just uncheck all three boxes and click “Continue”.

You will next be presented with the editing screen and you think you’re up and and running and ready to go but you aren't done yet.

Try and create a post with pictures and everything looks great. You click on the “Publish” button and you wait with baited breath…then up comes this error:

Error while contacting blog service. The remote server returned an error: (403) forbidden.

After doing a lot of reading on various blogs the following seems to be the only way to solve this problem:

The problem is that Blogger will not allow your pictures to be uploaded unless it has a valid Google Picasso Picture library album with the name “Windows Live Writer” to upload to. You don’t have to install Picasso on your PC, you can create this album online.

Go to http://picasaweb.google.com

Log into Picasso with the same username account that you use for your blogger blog.

Click on the “Upload” button and install the ActiveX control.

Refresh the screen (F5) and click on the “New Album” button.

Enter the Title of the album exactly as written on the next line:
Windows Live Writer

Set the album to "Unlisted" and save.

That’s it! You can now forget about Picasso. Insert your pictures into your post from wherever you want and publish the post directly to your Blogger Blog.

You can edit and republish as many times as you wish.

It’s not perfect but infinitely better than using the Blogger editor.

Oh, BTW, did I need to tell you that I produced this post using Windows Live Writer?

Intermarriage Issues

A Xmas Menorah Tree

Here are two excellent audio files on the issue of Intermarriage.

The first, by Rav Ari Kahn is more appropriate to secular and unaffiliated Jews and recognises that assimilation has taken its toll and nowadays in America and Britain, intermarriage is no longer viewed with the shock and dismay it once was. This is either because secular Jews have simply got used to it as a fact of life or because they are scared that if they open their mouths and express opposition then they will be accused of being racist.

Even if one has no problem with the idea of intermarriage or even if one has already decided to marry someone who is not Jewish, it is highly recommended to listen to the recording just to learn about the possible problems that you will most likely encounter but that have never crossed your mind.

Click on the line below to open the download window.
Rav Ari Kahn - Issues of Intermarriage

Then click either on the picture of the blue note or use the Download button.

The second audio file is by Rav David Orlofsky. It is aimed more at traditional Jews who have had a minimum of Jewish education, whose emotional connection to Judaism is strong but they have no knowledge to back this up. The first 3 minutes or so are a bit dry but then Rav David Orlofsky warms up and the rest of the talk is hilariously funny but at the same time communicates a serious and profound message.

Follow the instructions for downloading as above.

Here is the link:
Rav David Orlofsky - Why be Jewish?

My own thoughts on the subject

In truth, once someone has decided to marry a non Jewish person, no arguments will convince them. One cannot go back in time and correct the damage of 20+ years of not having a proper Jewish education and understanding what it means to be Jewish. The sad fact is that this Jew has never been given the opportunity to see what a beautiful treasure he or she is throwing away.

What about the more traditional members of the family?

How should they react to an intermarriage in the family? Well certainly you should make it clear to the person marrying out that for you, it it not a cause for celebration. It is in fact a tragedy.

Despite the pressure that the Jewish parents might put upon other members of the family to come to the Wedding party (or even to the ceremony itself), you should certainly not put your silent stamp of approval by attending. However, you should endeavour to keep in constant contact with the member of family who has intermarried and let them know that if8 their marriage fails then you will be there for him or her to give advice and support.

8 Actually, it shouldn't be “if” but “when”! Statistics in America and the UK show an 80% failure rate for Intermarriage couples within the first 10 years. Far higher than even the shocking statistics for the national average.

Sufganiyot (doughnuts) on Chanuka

Where does the minhag (custom) of eating Sufganiot come from on Chanuka?

Let’s ask another question first:

Why don’t we celebrate the miracle of Chanuka with a seudat mitzvah, that is a sit down festive meal in honour of the miracle, where we eat pat lechem (bread)?

Unless you have learnt Mesechet Shabbat or read Sefer Chashmonayim you might still have the somewhat childish notion, taught in Cheder and school that Chanuka is a celebration of the victory of the Jews over the Greeks. Rav Ari Kahn explains that in actual fact Chanuka commemorates the war between those Jews loyal to Hashem and His Torah and the Mityavnim (Hellenist Jews) who had adopted Greek cultural practices.

This dirty secret that Chaza”l (our wise sages) only hinted at in references to the story of Chanuka means that we are actually commemorating a bloody and painful civil war where father was against son, brother was against brother and whole families were split apart.

According to most opinions, the halacha is that there is no mitzvah to eat a seudah with bread on Chanuka because Chaza”l did not deem it appropriate to celebrate the deaths of Jews, despite their evil ideology. Indeed, according to Sefer Chashmonayim, the Chashmonayim themselves were in no mood to celebrate after their victory but there is evidence that they did eat different kinds of fried cakes to symbolise their victory over Hellenism and the reuniting of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel).

In Sefer Moadim BaHalacha by Rav Shlomo Zevin, he writes that there are many clues to this civil war. He points out that if you want to know who really “treifed” up the Beit HaMikdash then the answer lies within the laws of tuma and tahara (ritual purity). Halacha tells us that Goyim could not have done this because Goyim do not conduct tuma. However Jews can! Sefer Chashmonayim tells us that the Mizbeiyach (the alter where the korbanot were offered) had to be broken up as it had become tamei (ritually impure). Likewise the oil (used to light the Menorah) and the flour (used to make the Lechem HaPanim – the Show-bread) in the Beit HaMikdash had also become tamei.

The breaking up of the Mizbeiyach after the civil war was particularly painful for those who rededicated the Beit HaMikdash as the many stones together that made up the alter, more than anything, symbolised the unity of Am Yisrael (the Jewish people).

Out of the three missing items needed to continue the service in the Beit HaMikdash, the Mizbeiyach could be replaced relatively quickly; the flour also. The problem was the oil. Hashem made the one flask of oil, only meant to last one day last until they could replenish the supply. A whole eight days.

The origin of the minhag to eat Sufganiyot

Many would guess that the custom to eat sufganiyot is quite a recent thing. In fact the minhag is mentioned by Ramba”m’s father in the 12th century where he writes that the minhag goes back to the Chashmonayim themselves in Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel).

In the writings of R. Mamion (The Ramba”m’s father), Rav Nissim Goan p. 328, we find the following:

אין להקל בשום מנהג ואפילו מנהג קל. ויתחייב כל נכון לו עשית משתה ושמחה ומאכל לפרסם הנס שעשה השם יתברך עמנו באותם הימים. ופשט המנהג לעשות סופגנין, בערבי אלספינג, והם הצפחיות בדבש ובתרגום האיסקריטין הוא מנהג הקדמונים משום שהם קלויים בשמן לזכר ברכתו - כלומר לנס שבפך שמן

(What follows is not a literal translation. I hope I have nevertheless captured the essence of the Ramba”m’s father’s words).

You should not belittle or underestimate any minhag, even one that might be considered by some to be minor or of little importance. One must use all his financial resources to [celebrate Chanuka] by having a Mishteh (a festive party), being beSimcha (to fill the festival with joy) and have Maachal (to make special foods in honour of the festival) in order to publicise the miracle that Hakodesh Baruch Hu did for us, in those days of old.

We already have an established minhag to make sufganiyot (doughnuts) (in Arabic "El sphinj) which are Tzapichit Bdevash (sweet baked goods, or "Iskirtin") and this minhag is an ancient one (of our fathers) since [these foods] are boiled in oil, to commemorate the miracle that occurred to that flask of oil [in the Beit haMikdash].

Based on this source we know that eating sweet fried foods on Chanuka to publicise the miracle of the oil is an ancient one, possibly going back to the times of the Chasmonayim themselves.

Rav Beinish Ginsburg explains that the Chashmonayim needed something that would commemorate the civil war, the rededication of the Beit HaMikdash and the reunification of Am Yisrael. Therefore they took sweetened dough made from flour and fried it in oil to make a cake ball with a bracha of Mezonot. This would entail having to say a bracha Achrona (the blessing said after eating any food made from flour but not bread) of “Al HaMichya”.

The text of the Al HaMichya bracha reads as follows:

Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the universe, for nourishment [of this cake] and sustenance and the produce of the field. For the desirable, good and spacious land that You were pleased to give our forefathers as a heritage to eat of its fruit and be satisfied with its goodness. Have mercy Hashem our G-d, on Israel, Your people; Jerusalem Your city, Zion, resting place of Your glory. Your Mizbeiyach and Your Temple. Rebuild Jerusalem, the city of holiness, speedily in our days. Raise us up into it and make us joyous in the rebuilding and let us eat from its fruit and be satisfied with its goodness and bless You upon it in holiness and taharah (ritual purity). And for You, Hashem, are good and do good to all and we thank You for the land and for the nourishment [of this cake]. Blessed are You, Hashem for the land and the nourishment [of this cake].

It is interesting to note that this short bracha said after eating Mezonot (any flour based food which is not bread) contains the blessing for the Jewish people, Jerusalem and specifically mentions the Mizbeiyach. It also asks for the return of taharah (ritual purity). Compare this with the Bircat Hamazon which is said after eating bread and is much longer. It never mentions the Mizbeiyach at all.

So in conclusion, eating a ball of sweet dough from flour fried in oil, that is a sufganiyah which entails mentioning Am Yisrael and the Mizbeiyach after eating it, actually encompasses all the elements to commemorate the festival of Chanuka.

As Ramba”m’s father says, “You should not belittle or underestimate any minhag, even one that might be considered by some to be minor or of little importance”.

Chanuka Left/Right Game

The Chanuka Left/Right Game 

We played this game at a Chanuka party last year. Much fun was had by all. I thought it would be a good idea to share this with you all.

The rules:

Everyone sits in a circle on the floor except one person who's job it is to read out the story.  You hand each person three Chanuka chocolate coins. You tell them that if they hear the word "right" then they should pass one coin to the person on their right. Likewise, if they hear the word "left" then they should pass one coin to the person on their left. At the end of the story, the person with the most coins obviously wins.

 

  The Chanuka Story of Family Right  

It was almost time for Chanuka lighting at the home of family RIGHT. Ima RIGHT was finishing the Sufganiot (jam doughnuts) frying. Aba RIGHT, Shoshana RIGHT, and Boaz RIGHT returned from their last-minute Chanuka errands. "There's not much LEFT to be done," said Aba RIGHT as he came into the kitchen enjoying the wonderful smells LEFT by the sufganiot. "Did you leave the chocolate coins where I told you?" asked Ima RIGHT. "I LEFT them RIGHT where you told me to," said Aba RIGHT. "I'm glad my shopping is done," said Aba RIGHT. "I don't have any money LEFT." The telephone rang, and Shoshana RIGHT LEFT to answer it. She rushed back and told the family "Aunty Esther RIGHT LEFT some fresh Latkas for us RIGHT on Safta RIGHT's door step. I'll go over there RIGHT away and get them." she said as she LEFT in a rush. Boaz RIGHT LEFT the kitchen and admired his new Chanukia with real shemen ziyit (olive oil). He pretended to be a soldier marching up and down shouting LEFT RIGHT, LEFT RIGHT, RIGHT LEFT. By the time Shoshana RIGHT returned, Ima RIGHT, Aba RIGHT, and Boaz RIGHT had begun lighting their Chanukiot. The entire RIGHT family sang Moat Tzur when they'd all finished lighting. Then they LEFT to grab some hot sufganiot. The jam dripped out, RIGHT down Boaz's jumper. HE looked inside his sufgania and found just a little jam LEFT inside. Family RIGHT then played with their dreidals. Aba RIGHT span his dreidal to the LEFT. Ima RIGHT also span to the LEFT. Shoshana RIGHT span to the RIGHT but poor little Boaz RIGHT couldn't spin his dreidal either to the LEFT or the RIGHT. Now that I've got you in a RIGHT mess I wonder how many coins are LEFT in each person's hands?, because that's all that's LEFT of our story..... Except to wish you Chanuka Samayach....Isn't that RIGHT?

 

And lastly, some Chanuka photos to get you in the mood... CHANUKA SAMAYACH !!!

  

--- THE END ---

Windows 7: Upgrade or not? *** UPDATE ***

I've updated my post on upgrading to Windows 7 and which edition is best for you. http://rebmordechaiwrites.blogspot.com/2009/11/windows-7-upgrade-or-not.html

For those who have already read the article, the additional section is reproduced here:

What's the difference between the OEM, VUP and Retail Editions?

OEM stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer". In theory this means that you are only allowed to purchase this edition at a special reduced rate when buying a new computer. You should then receive your new computer with Windows preinstalled. Computer stores should not sell you this edition on its own. My experience however with Windows XP OEM was that stores were selling it as an individual product and it installed without any issues. I've seen Israeli online stores advertising Windows 7 OEM editions so I assume they will also install on your existing PC without a problem. I havn't tried this yet though.

VUP is the Version Upgrade Edition. This is also sold cheaper than the Retail Edition and is meant for those who have a previous version of Windows Vista or Windows XP. This means that one cannot do a fresh install with this product. (Actually I found a few Internet Sites where they manage to get round this but I assume this method is legally questionable).

Warning to XP users: As I've mentioned before, Windows XP cannot be upgraded and needs a fresh install of Windows 7. So how can this VUP Edition work with an XP machine? Well what is supposed to happen is that you need to run the DVD within Windows XP and it will do a machine restart and begin a fresh install. Preseumably you cannot boot it from a blank harddisk which means that if you need to replace the harddisk for any reason you must first reinstall XP and and then Windows 7. What a pain! The problem is that I've read nightmare stories on various forums that this Microsoft trick doesn't always work. The machine restarts and at some stage gets stuck. then you are left with a corrupt harddisk with no legal way of doing a fresh install. My advise is to stay away from this if you you have Windows XP. Retail Edition: This is the complete no nonsense edition which can be installed on any machine either by doing an upgrade or a fresh install either on a new harddisk or by overwriting an existing Windows version. That is, during the installation, Windows will format the drive.

The Future of British Jewry

Unprecedented turnout at the Aliyah fair held in Manchester and London.

The fair which was held in Manchester last night and today in London experienced unprecedented turnout as British Jews flocked to find information about making their home in Israel. Over a thousand potenial Olim turned up packing out the hall. The representative from Misrad HaKlita had technical problems processing people due to slow Wireless connection and the fact that the Misrad HaKlita security policy blocks access to the system outside regular office hours in Israel and so half way through the fair, connection was terminated and they had to continue to process the large queue of people by hand. Someone didn't think this through obviously.

I wonder why the fair was so popular? Here are some possible reasons: Over 1,000 Anti-Semitic incidents were reported so far in Britain for 2009, more than doubling the attacks from 2008 which itself, was the largest recorded attacks since records began in the UK.

Britain seems totally impotent to act against a massive rise of Anti-Semitism from Muslims, Christians, Fascists and Socialists due to its drowning is political correctness and a suicidal policy of multiculturalism. How ironic that laws and attitudes created and nurtured to tackle Anti-Semitism in Britain of the 20th Century are the very tools being used by Anti-Semites today to attack Jews.

A London shul after an attack

British Court decides who is a Jew. In October The British Rabbanut's Office lost a land mark ruling in the UK courts.

The Court of Appeal ruled that it was racist to reject the application of a child (who's mother received a non-Orthodox conversion) to the Orthodox JFS School. The Chief Rabbi's Office tried to argue that Judaism was only a religion and not an ethnic group or national people. They told the court that "its admissions policy giving preference to Jewish children when the school was oversubscribed was lawful because it was based on religious and not racial criteria".

The judges however were not impressed and announced that "the requirement that if a pupil is to qualify for admission his mother must be Jewish, whether by descent or by conversion, is a test of ethnicity which contravenes the Race Relations Act". (I seriously question the wisdom of the Chief Rabbi's office in taking such a position in the first place). This means that British Jews can no longer decide who is a Jew by their own definition because it falls foul of the Racial Discrimination Act. This should be deeply disturbing to all Orthodox Jews as it calls into question the viability to continue to educate Jewish children according to halacha in Britain.

Anti-Semitic documentary on British National TV

On November 16, Channel 4 "Dispatches" Programme investigated the "sinister" nature of a secret group of wealthy and influential Jews who are controlling Britain's policy in the Middle East. A quote from the programme: "Despite wielding great influence among the highest realms of British politics and media, little is known about the individuals and groups which collectively are known as the pro-Israel lobby." The programme didn't ask the question that if this lobby was so powerful, how comes Britain's Foreign Office and Press are amongst the most anti-Israel in Europe? The programme ignored the fact that there is a much larger Arab Lobby which seems to have far more influence over British policy. (Something to do with oil perhaps?). All this adds up to a programme akin to the modern version of the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" on British National Television.

Blatant Anti-Semitism in Britain's National Newspapers

On the 3rd December, the Guardian Newspaper allowed a blatantly anti-Semitic letter to be published that contained obvious Holocaust Denial. When challenged they eventually removed the letter from the site claiming that they hadn't read the letter properly and it had slipped through. The problem with this explanation is that anti-Semitic talkbacks are unfortunately common place at The Guardian website.

Central London church holds Anti-Semitic carol service

On December 4th at the Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church in Central London they held a special Xmas Carol concert in support of Hamas. The YouTube Video of the event is essential viewing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fUKsDG9v2A&feature=player_embedded What I find most shocking in this Video is not the anti-Semitic idiot they spend most of the time interviewing but the Church vicar who when told that Hamas is a actually a brutal terrorist organisation and has murdered not only Jews but Xtians as well, he looks genuinely surprised and shocked. Are we to believe that this vicar, the head of a major central London church allowed this Anti-Semitic Carol Hate-fest to go on in his church and was totally hoodwinked through ignorance? By the look on his face, probably so.

Scottish National Union urges Celtic fans to support Hamas

On the 2nd December the premier Scottish Football Club, Celtic FC played Hapoel Tel Aviv. The Scottish fans waved Palestinian and Hamas flags at the match. One could defend this action by arguing that it was just a bit of football fan taunting which doesn't really mean anything except, that is that the order to demonstrate came directly from the National Scottish Trade Unions.

The Lord Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks declares special Shabbat

Meanwhile, The Lord Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has declared that this Shabbat, Parshas Vayishlach is to be a special Shabbat to call awareness to a very important issue.

In the parsha, Yaakov confronts Eisav who is out to kill him and his entire family. This parsha has been used by Chaza"l throughout the generations as a blueprint for how to defend the Jewish people from the anti-semitic attacks of Edom.

The Lord Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has announced that this is to be a special Sabbath devoted to the, (wait for it...), the environment, ahead of the climate talks due to be held next week in Copenhagen.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3815131,00.html His Lordship, Jonathan Sacks says he wants the Shabbat beginning Friday night to be focused on environmental issues and has asked Jews across the UK to pray for sustainable habits of consumption and energy use. To quote a British sports term, I don't think that The Lord Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has his eye on the ball (unlike this chap).

Microsoft is being foolish.

Could this be the future? Google Chrome OS

Since I wrote my previous post praising Windows 7 I have received emails and phone calls saying the same thing. There is total confusion regarding pricing and availability of certain editions. Being that I am an international Microsoft Subscription member and able to download any edition in any language and receive a valid product key I was unaware of what was going on in the retail market in Israel until now. There is considerable confusion as to what the differences between the OEM, VUP and Retail versions is as well as the considerable difference in price. (See my updated post on this here:

http://rebmordechaiwrites.blogspot.com/2009/12/windows-7-upgrade-or-not-update.html )

Now, a friend told me that he had bought the VUP Upgrade version from Office Depot. He made it clear to them that he wanted Windows in English and even spoke to them in English. Nevertheless they sold him a Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade edition in Hebrew. When he tried to return it after opening the box and seeing that the DVD booted up in Hebrew (but before entering the Product Key) they refused to take it back or exchange it. They told him that the Upgrade edition was not available in English. This person then phoned Microsoft for help and was fobbed off with the answer that he must speak to the retailer and not them.

I asked a Microsoft salesman who happened to be visting the office where I work today whether there was an English version of Windows 7 VUP Update and he admitted that he had no idea. When I asked him why the Upgrade stated that it was for XP machines which cannot be upgraded I was met with another blank expression. He said he'd get back to me. If he ever does I'll post it here.

(*** UPDATE *** I've seen the English version advertised online on Israeli stores).

Please note: It is possible to buy either the English or Hebrew version of Ultimate and download a language pack to switch languages. This possibility is not however available with Home Premium. If you buy it in Hebrew then the user interface is fixed to Hebrew and there is nothing you can do about it. In my opinion, Microsoft has made artificial divisions and intentional "dumb down" limitations to their different editions for marketing reasons only. The fact that you cannot change the language interface of Home Premium even once is very mean on their part.

Don't think of trying to use your Windows 7 Hebrew version Product Key on someone else's English Edition. It won't accept it. Considering that Windows 7 is in reality simply Vista Service Pack 3, the prices are preposterously high. Both Home Premium and Ultimate Retail Editions are both at least NIS 500 overpriced. Windows 7 is the best Windows yet but it's simply too expensive. Microsoft is not only being greedy but stupid! There is simply not enough incentive for either XP or Vista users to upgrade yet.

What could change? Well first off, Microsoft could force XP users to upgrade by discontinuing XP security updates. They wouldn't dare do this with Vista being that its only two years old. The other thing they could do is lower the prices perhaps? This will surely happen when Google bring out their new Google Chrome OS whenever that will be. If it comes out sooner rather than later then history will show that Microsoft over played its hand. If insufficient Windows users have migrated to Windows 7 by the time Google Chrome OS comes out then its curtains for Windows. Google will clean up as angry disgruntled users rush into Google's arms. The product doesn't even have to be any good, just sufficient for people to be able to browse the Web and run an Office like application.

Google's company motto is "Don't be evil". It is certainly good advice for Microsoft at the moment. It's interesting times ahead.