Saturday, February 12, 2022

Andrew Lerner wordmark


www.andrewlerner.blogspot.com Please read the column at the left, left click on all of the posting titles, pictures, and underlined blue words. Please click below, on "Comments, Reactions, & Feedback", below, to read reviews, and or write your own reply. This means a great deal to me. Each box, below the date below, corresponds to the letter of your choice: A = Funny. B = Informative. C = Clever. D = Disagree. E = Excellent. F = Frivolous. 1) Please place your cursor arrow onto the little white box, next to the letter, that represents your selection. 2) press down to click. 3) A check mark will then appear, showing that you have voted. The counter for that box, will increment by your one rating (#).

Friday, May 18, 2012

407-687-8438 was 516-770-3766

516-770-3766 will be terminated May 2012, after more than a decade. 407-687-8438 will replace 5167703766. 5167703766 = 4076878438

Friday, November 11, 2011

111111

With contenders like Cain and Perry, Romney need not take his mitts off.
Neither Cain or Perry can remember very well. They are both toast.
I drove Andy Rooney from Grand Central Station to CBS news on West 57th Street.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Black Man Monday


Monday was a bad day for the black man:
Herman Cain: A victim comes forward.
Dr. Conrad Murray: Guilty of Michael Jackson's death.
Joe Frazier: Lost his fight to cancer, and died.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Slander and other stories

This agenda is for the Wednesday 10/19/11 meeting of Hidden Village Condo. Association. It includes a proposal to shut down the website posted below. The only reason given is that the President does not like the person who created and maintains it at no charge for the Association. The "HiddenVillage.org" sign by the entrance, was already removed without warning.

The latest slander against me: I called someone who posted their apt. for rent on the bulletin board. I left a message asking why she had not posted on the Condo website. I wanted to know if there was a problem. She said that she tried the website, but that the request was never answered. I gave her my direct personal email address, and also put another address on the website to avoid that forwarding problem, again. She thought she did something wrong with by posting on the board. I assured her three times, that she did nothing wrong, and thanked her for contacting me. She said she would email me before the end of the month (3 days of Sept.) My wife, who is a board member, forwarded this email to me from the President of the board to the management company for the next meeting: "Agenda Item: Shutting down the Hiddenvillage.org website. We apparently have a new problem dealing with Mr. Lerner. My understanding is an owner who wants to rent their unit put their notice & phone number on the bulletin board. It is further my understanding that Mr. Lerner obtained the number contacted this lady and advised her she couldn’t post to the public bulletin board and that it had to be posted on the we
bsite. The term being used is that he harassed her to place the notice on the website. This lady apparently advised Juan about this after Mr. Lerner’s phone call to her. Obviously, other board members are not at all happy about this. Please have this on the agenda for the next meeting."

I was peeking inside the new old-fashioned Barber-Shop here in Lake Mary, Florida today. The barbers by the pool table were waving for me to come in. I took off my hat to show my bald head. They started laughing.

To all the people who can't read this because they are not on Face-Book: Face to face, face news, face TV, face telephone, face VCRs, face microwave ovens, face the Internet, face DVRs, face smart phones, Face life, FaceBook. Face it, FaceBook is being able to come home again and face your life.

I received a current Wendy's advertisement in my postal mail box. It has a picture of Dave Thomas, when he was alive many years ago. It stated that Dave is introducing a new sandwich. Does this sound Kosher?

I went to the bank today, and then discovered that they are Italian, and not open today due to Columbus.

I have been planting the many cactus petals that have been wacked or run over by the landscapers the past weeks from Elanor cactus.

My sugar and cream drink is so yummy when I flavor it with fresh brewed coffee!

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Hidden Village FaceBook page

I have claimed and developed the FaceBook page for HiddenVillage. I now am the administrator to Syosset, Syosset2Florida, AndrewILerner, and HiddenVillage. Please go to http://HiddenVillage.homestead.com/

Sunday, September 25, 2011

37 Roberta Lane, Syosset, NY 11791

                                                                          http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/

Friday, September 23, 2011

Asparagus Burger recipe

Ingredients    (Serves 4-6)
8 cloves garlic
12 oz. fresh asparagus
1 tablespoon dry basil
1 tablespoon dry parsley
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 cup bread crumbs (unseasoned)
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons lightly flavored oil  (olive oil or grape seed oil)
Directions
Roughly chop and dice the garlic. Remove the woody stems off of the base of the asparagus. Chop the rest of the asparagus into ½ in. pieces.
In large stockpot or deep dish, boil the cut asparagus in enough water to cover, about 12-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the garlic and all the seasonings and cheese in a large mixing bowl.
When the asparagus is done, drain it and allow to cool. Once cooled, add it to the mixing bowl and then add the egg.
Using your hands, mix and squeeze the asparagus into the eggs, bread crumbs and other ingredients. Shape into patties.
In a large sauté pan, heat the oil. Once it is hot, add the patties but do not crowd the pan. If you don’t have enough space, do the frying in two batches.
Fry on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until very brown on each side. Do not turn more than once on each side.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Aspiritech is a company that hires Aspies!

By CARLA K. JOHNSON - AP Medical Writer
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) — The software testers at Aspiritech are a collection of characters. Katie Levin talks nonstop. Brian Tozzo hates driving. Jamie Specht is bothered by bright lights, vacuum cleaners and the feel of carpeting against her skin. Rider Hallenstein draws cartoons of himself as a DeLorean sports car. Rick Alexander finds it unnerving to sit near other people.
This is the unusual workforce of a U.S. startup that specializes in finding software bugs by harnessing the talents of young adults with autism.
Traits that make great software testers — intense focus, comfort with repetition, memory for detail — also happen to be characteristics of autism. People with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism, have normal to high intelligence and often are highly skilled with computers.
Aspiritech, a nonprofit in Highland Park, Ill., nurtures these skills while forgiving the quirks that can make adults with autism unemployable: social awkwardness, poor eye contact, being easily overwhelmed. The company's name plays on the words "Asperger's," ''spirit" and "technology."
Clients, nine companies in Aspiritech's first two years, have been pleased.
"They exceeded my expectations," said Dan Tedesco of Shelton, Conn.-based HandHold Adaptive, which took a chance on Aspiritech to test an iPhone application. "There is a pride in their product you don't usually see in this type of work."
Aspiritech was founded by Moshe and Brenda Weitzberg after their son, Oran, now 32, was fired from a job bagging groceries. Oran was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome when he was 14. He now works at Aspiritech.
"He went from failing at bagging groceries to being one of the best software testers on our team," said Brenda Weitzberg.
The Weitzbergs modeled Aspiritech on a successful Danish company called Specialisterne, or "the Specialists." Specialisterne also employs software testers with autism. Its satisfied clients include Oracle and Microsoft.
Other companies in Belgium, Japan and Israel are either hiring or training adults with autism as software testers.
This year, Aspiritech projects $120,000 in revenue, with 60 percent coming from donations and 40 percent from clients. The Weitzbergs hope to raise the client revenue to 50 percent next year.
"There have been a couple of attempts in the U.S. and Aspiritech is the one that's making it," said Scott Standifer of the University of Missouri's Disability Policy and Studies office and the organizer of a national conference on adults with autism and employment.
The exact unemployment rate for adults with autism is unknown, but it's thought to be high, Standifer said.
"We don't know how many adults have autism and, because of that, we don't know their rate of unemployment," he said. "We do know from tracking adults just emerging from high school that they are having great difficulty finding jobs."
A 2009 U.S. Department of Education survey found the employment rate for young adults with autism was on par with that for deaf-and-blind young adults, and well below the rate of those with blindness alone or learning disabilities or traumatic brain injuries, Standifer said.
Since Asperger's syndrome didn't become a standard diagnosis until the early 1990s, many of Aspiritech's software testers were adults when they first learned they were on the autism spectrum. They are pioneers, the first generation of adults with Asperger's.
Katie Levin, 35, was diagnosed in her late 20s with Asperger's. As a child, she'd been labeled as mentally ill.
"Asperger's is not a mental illness," she said. "I definitely feel like I identify with the Asperger's community more than I did with the mental illness community." She tests software and runs Aspiritech's Facebook page and Twitter feed.
Rick Alexander, 24, another tester, has a degree in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology and completed an internship developing software for the city of Chicago.
"I have a lot of social anxiety. I don't like meeting new people," said Alexander, who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome as a teenager. Like many of the other testers, he lives with his parents.
He'd rather be a software developer than a tester, he said. But selling himself in a job interview is "very difficult for me."
"When you're a child, the school is very concerned with you, the state is very concerned with you," Alexander said. Organizations help adults with autism, he said, but "you need to approach them and for somebody with Asperger's syndrome, it's very difficult to do the approaching."
Most research dollars have gone toward studying children with autism while adults have been neglected, said Molly Losh, an autism researcher at Northwestern University.
"Our vocational structure really isn't suited to funnel people with autism into the workforce," Losh said. Aspiritech "is a magnificent and innovative venture," she said.
Many businesses hire offshore companies to test software. Mike Mestemaker, director of engineering for Schaumburg, Ill.-based ISI Telemanagement Solutions, chose Aspiritech because it offered competitive rates but was based in the United States.
"They dove right in and worked very quickly," Mestemaker said. "They were very detail-oriented people. They really got the job done."
ISI was happy with the work and has hired Aspiritech for a second project, he said.
Aspiritech provides meaningful work (pay is $12 to $15 an hour) in a relaxed environment where bosses never yell if you're late and nobody minds if you need to be alone for a while. What's more, the company is building social skills. The software testers, who are in their 20s and 30s, are trained to work together and they take part in organized outings: miniature golf, bowling, eating at a restaurant.
"We want to improve social skills among people who tend to be socially isolated," said Marc Lazar, Aspiritech's autism specialist. For many of them, software testing is not going to be their lifelong career, Lazar said, "but while they're here they're going to improve their job skills and they're going to learn what kind of behavior is expected on the job and they're going to have more to put on their resumes."

Monday, September 19, 2011

Syosset and Aspie Friends

I have been cleansing my Face-Book friends list of those whom I do not regularly interact with or who show lack of respect. If they can read this, then they were probably not "de-friended." I value you! Patricia Caplan, Chantri Waddoups, Sharon Tanzer Kirschner, Sharla Kogel Hearne, Teresa Clementi, Robert Lemenze, Stephanie Bayer Franz, John Holliday, Robin Matheson, Wendy Weatherington, Ryan Collin, Margo Vacca Kemp, Shelly Betancourt, Brit M Dauzat, Alan Da Costa, and Brianne Fulton value me.

Although I have been in Florida since 2005, I have finally been in a Bealls and Tuesday-Morning for the first time. The first is a discount store reminiscent of Alexanders. The later is Home Furnishings close-out store. They are part of my big-box brisk-walk-daily program. I purchased a 6' HDMI cable for $4! and a GE 4-LED light strip for $5!

Frustration is maintaining a brisk walk in Bed Bath & Beyond. This would include Home Depot and Staples.

NT is neuro-typical like you and most people are. (not Aspie) Aspies are accustomed and more comfortable doing things in solitary. Social interaction is what we are greatly challenged with, and therefore are uncomfortable in inter-personal relations. (they are LESS "fun") Aspies do not get "Clued in" It is the difference and advantage of not doing something in solitary that Aspies wonder about all the time. You NTs accept it as a paradym.

I greatly enjoy, appreciate, and seek out friends, like you or SG. Unfortunately, people often misunderstand me. They often leave me, or I must leave them (such as in the case with SG). I have therefore led a very lonely life (until FB) My wife loves me, and wanted us to get married. I personalty did not understand the logic. It feels good to have someone who cares about me, around. This is one person we can develop a relationship with, that is so hard to do with others. She has the empathy that is necessary. I am seeking to understand how she understands the value of marriage.

LMH: "It fascinates me to think that neurotypical people can't all just take a step back and think to themselves, yes, to most people that might seem like a strange question but it is NOT for an Aspie. And in the world of spectrum disorders, many of the people I work with (who are in their early 20s), have a difficult enough time connecting with a person in conversation let alone maintaining friendships or intimate relationships (and intimacy is more than sex, Stephen). Many Aspies have so much difficulty in interpersonal relationships that even having a friend is challenging. Think of having challenges with even having friends and then think how much of you goes into an intimate relationship. And when so much of the life of an Aspie is trying to navigate a neurotypical world in what others feel is "socially appropriate", the fact that Andrew even asks these questions to get an honest opinion is something I look up to." When you've met a person on the spectrum, that's all you've done, met ONE person on the spectrum.

AIL: Exceptionally insightful and articulate LMH! Thank you! You even helped me see things from an NT view point!

Stephen Gyetko: "Andrew, you totally nailed it. You're so lucky to have someone like your wife, as I'm lucky to have found someone. It must be tough to figure it all out, but suffice to say, she loves you and 'it's a groove'. Be good to each other and only good can come of it. As you said previously, the world is a noisy, complicated and conflicting place for you. It must be like trying to make tactile sense of something while wearing oven mitts. Best of luck always and thanks for the Syosset site. It's made me appreciate all over again how lucky I was and how much that great little town gave me."

AIL I very much look forward to future communication from you Stephen Gyetko

LMH: Stephen, that is awesome that you understand a little bit more about the Aspie perspective. And yes, it's hard for ANY of us to find someone and be lucky enough to be loved. Temple Grandin describes autism and spectrum disorders as feeling like an "anthropologist on Mars" which is so close to your oven mitt comment that I love it.

AIL Yes LMH, Stephen Gyetko's oven mit analogy was excellent. He comes up with good ones.

LMH I'm more than impressed. I think he nailed it as well. We seem to have smart people who comment on your threads and there's nothing I enjoy more than discussing what I feel so passionate about.

AIL Ditto. I enjoy collecting smart people, and keeping them around. I am thrilled to have you as a friend.

I drive to a big box stores or mall to walk briskly for about 45 minutes. I try to do this daily because I believe the exercise is beneficial to my health. It is always too hot and humid outside here in Florida. I do not have money for a Health club, or insurance. I am indefinitely unemployed. I am otherwise at home 24/7 except when I grocery shop. My entertainment is seeing the change of retail entities and products.

You know you are an Aspie if you do this...

9/11/11: I hung my 9.3+ foot flag outside in front of 2 of my four living room bay windows, hiding them both. This is to honor our heroes of 9/11/01. 9/11/11 My Community Association and Management are controlled by a few oppressive cowardly bullies who have been making slanderous statements against my wife, me, and my website. At the request of my wife, a Director on the Board, I have removed the following from the above site: "This website will not be ruled by terrorists. "All are welcome" on 9/21/11 at 7pm to open that cockpit (veranda) door and take control of our Hidden Village community. "Let's Roll"

I am so happy that my Condo Owners Association has approved paid for and hung up in front of our community, a custom-made large metal sign for the website and newsletter that I created. It says "www.HiddenVillage.org"

LMH: Hey Andrew- I wanted to actually thank you for helping to open my eyes to so many new things in the Aspie community.... I will be continuing to read your blog as it is such an excellent resource and SO brilliantly done! Thank you for it!

My biggest frustration I find with people and society: The inability to identify, understand and explain one's feelings, and the unwillingness to express them honestly and openly.

This message was found on LernerDesign.com: "I'm blown away by the magnitude of your talent & the way you incorporate so many pieces of information into your creative and clever design aesthetic. Cannot wait to delve further in :)" Thank you Christine-Marie Licato Olds! Renee Zamow Bevard, Christine-Marie Licato Olds and Robin Matheson like this.

9/3/11 Thank you Stephen Gyetko for this: "I've learned so much about the whole aspie thing since getting on the "You know you're from Syosset if..." site. You've done a tremendous job educating people in general about the whole thing. If there's an organization focused on aspie issues, they would do well to use your talents to further the cause of aspie acceptance." Shelly Betancourt, Francine Ahrenstein Kass and LMH like this.

Aspie eyes are wired differently, and appear different than assumed. Christine-Marie Licato Olds likes this.

LMH It's fascinating to me that I didn't know what an "Aspie" was until I looked it up. I have a master's degree in Special Education and I do 1:1 community coaching (habilitation and socialization) with young adults with ASD's. Is this a new or recent term? AIL Aspie, as you may have found out is an affectionate name for an individual with Asperger's Syndrome. You many find much information on it at http://andrewlerner.blogspot.com/ Thank you for your interest!

LMH: Definitely interested, I'm going to check out your blog, they aren't even teaching the term in education classes yet, and they should. It takes a condition some find stigmatizing or scary (from all the unknowns) and makes it relatable. I like it a LOT. I love the blog! I love the way you are able to demonstrate that there are different ways to think about ANYTHING just by being who you are! So inspiring!

AIL I very much appreciate you interest. There are many ways to bring up only the posts regarding A.S. you can click on Aspie in the LABELs list on the lower left, type aspie in one of the search boxes, etc.

I will be exploring in more detail, definitely. But you have piqued my interest and I look forward to learning more.

CMLO: I'm surprised they aren't teaching AS...been years since I did undergrad (initially Special Ed, but then switched) I'm guessing some programs lump all Autism Spectrum diaga into one pile which is unfortunate. Andrew provides copious amounts of info; his interesting & unique take on life @ people & most important, a window into the Aspie world for NTs. I'm blown away by his observations, honesty & endless creativity.

LMH: I just meant they never teach the term "Aspie". However, since much of my work is with the ASD population, I find AIL's information to be extremely helpful. Currently I'm providing 1:1 habilitation for individuals on the spectrum and his blog is an incredible resource to me!

CMLO The more I see of your designs the more I want to see (and the symbolism etc=incredible) Hoping for opportunity to hire you to create cool new materials for my org.

9/2/11 For the first time ever, my wife's cat jumped, and lied on my lap, and did so for four hours! "Aww Colbert ♥ ' s you :)"

My favorite working book title for growing up with Asperger's Syndrome: "If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you". 8/29/11 Aspies are not common and therefore lack that sense.

CMLO Andrew I really enjoy your graphic work and the interesting you facts you connect regarding Syosset & the vernacular of today etc. By far, the photo of the Theatre is my favorite nostalgia. Though I don't qualify for your Sy-Fl page...

 8/14/11 It just occurred to me that "The Christian Science Monitor" is an oxymoron. Are Atheists covered by their insurance company for acts of God?

8/6/11: I walked to my pool today. It was hot out. When I got to my Cabana, I was hot, so I took off my T-shirt. I was hot. I walked along my veranda,and jumped into the pool. It was hot. After a while, I walked out of the pool for a while. I was hot. Later, after I walked home, and walked inside, it was delightful!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Gay Syosset

Click on the picture at the left or on "Gay Syosset" above to enlarge.

Words change meaning over time. Seeing someone on line at the Syosset Theater, or SYOS: See You Online Soon in FaceBook. Having a gay time at Lollipop Farm, or at "SYOS", an all-male club? Either way, like the Flintstones USED to say: Have a gay old time here in Cyber Syosset!

To my statement in the Syosset 1970s Facebook group of "Wow, even Apple has lost Jobs!" Hal Berenson: 
I'll bring this to some measure of relevance to Syosset. SHS was one of the first high schools in the country to give students access to computers. While my friends and I were playing around on ASR33 teletypes connected to BOCES LIRICS' DECsystem-10, Bill Gates and Paul Allen were doing the same (the Lakeside School in Seattle had its own DECsystem-10). That is what got us all hooked on computers. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak followed a slightly different route but ended up in a similar place. Many SHS alumni went on to careers in computing, and we've made some major contributions (although obviously nothing on the same scale as these other guys). In particular Jobs and Gates became the two key leaders of the computer industry as we transitioned to "personal computing", and just as importantly the two most important industrialists of the baby boom generation. I went to work for Bill, but have no less respect for Steve's importance to our industry and our generation. When Bill decided to move his full-time focus from Microsoft to charity work I was saddened that I wouldn't be working with him but happy for what it meant for the world overall. But Steve being forced from his CEO role at Apple over health reasons saddens me tremendously. It is, as Stephen Gyetko points out, pretty ominous and I am taking it quite personally. And so in the spirit of this group, you really know you're from Syosset if you used the ASR33s when there was one each in adjoining closets on the second floor of the E wing (around the corner from Mr. T's) when the teachers were clueless (or even scared) about what to do with them and everyone else in the school thought you were nuts; And you can trace that experience to the news of the day. 

Outstanding Hal Berenson I could not have wrote better. I spent much time at the computer lab at Syosset, and went on for a college degree in programming. I still have the punch tapes to prove it!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

2012

The Hopi tribe, I Ching, Edgar Cayce, Michel de Nostredame, The Maya, Web Bot, computer algorithms, Bible code, New Testament, Lady of Fatima, etc... all have prophecies of an eventful time of change that has been happening and will continue through 2/21/2012.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Lerner

Lerner is a common German family name. Its literal meaning can be either "student" or "scholar". It may refer to:

Organizations

People

Other

Monday, August 15, 2011

Syosset People in Florida

I have created my first FaceBook group. It is called SyoFLo. SYOS = See You Online Soon. SyoFLo Set is your Cyber Syosset home if you flowed here to Florida. Lines change with time. Once, "See You On line" was on line at one of the Exclusive Syosset Theaters. Time has changed. Both theaters are gone. Now the line is "See you online" as in right here in this virtual Syosset world. Welcome to the SyoFLo Set. See You Online Soon.

Also, here is an excellent video for a mental health hotline.






Friday, August 12, 2011

AndrewILerner@facebook.com

AndrewILerner@facebook.com is now my newest email address!

Below are postings I made on Facebook as my status.


My employer has usually been the US government, and it was for not working. Many several times it was temporary. Now it is indefinitely.

My parents were TV and the public school system.

I wonder if an atheist get compensated by his insurance company for an act of God.

If you are not on Facebook, life is passing you by.

Every day for weeks now, I keep getting notified of my friends meeting my other friends, or being re-united since the 1970's due to my suggestions.

Give Obama the Democrats he needs. Take out the pesky evil Republicans.

I am surprised and puzzled by my sister. She never replied to my emails and messages for months, joins Facebook for the first time ever in July 2011, only has 3 friends, and it does not include me or accept my FB friend request. Then I am told by someone else that she's not on anymore. She decided it was too much and didn't want to be on.

I enjoy my daily sugar-cream water flavored with coffee.

I walked to my pool today. It was hot out. When I got to my Cabana, I was hot, so I took off my T-shirt. I was hot. I walked along my veranda,and jumped into the pool. It was hot. After a while, I walked out of the pool for a while. I was hot. Later, after I walked home, and walked inside, it was delightful.

Never thought I would end up Marrying at 52, and even less, then us both retiring in Florida at age 53. Fantasies of winning lots of money to do that - maybe.

Do not let that small phrase "History International" on the bottom of the "HI" logo fool you. It is the HITLER channel. All they show are programs about WW2.

I never dreamed I would have over 200 friends on Facebook. I was often thrilled if I had one friend anywhere.

It just occurred to me that "The Christian Science Monitor" is an oxymoron.

8/17/11 The first person ever, came up to me, to compliment my Newsletter and Website that was started around June 2011. This happened after tonight's Hidden Village Board Meeting. My wife is on the Board. I was given absolutely no recognition whatsoever, as usual. People do not even make eye contact, say hi, or know that Margaret is my wife. I have experienced this treatment for most of my life, not that I'm happy with it.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

1970 My favorite class of people.

Alice P. Willits Elementary School, April 1970, grade 6, Mrs. Schorr
I love all of the people in this photograph. I plan to photo-shop me in. Donald Fried-Tanzer sent this to me 7/29/2011, the only copy I never had before, always wanted, and always regret not being in. Click picture for enlargement. Click again for full size.