tos50.com

Miracles

Sandy — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:02:43 +0000

Last week I had a wonderful experience — I joined with 6700 other Reform Jews and attended the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial which was held in the Washington DC area. The various activities at the biennial were incredibly inspirational; however, that’s not what I am going to write about. Since we were in the center of the political universe, so to speak, we were addressed by various politicians and international figures, among them, Ehud Barak, Natan Sharansky, Eric Cantor, and the most amazing of all, PRESIDENT OBAMA. His speech is available on U-Tube and also on the www.urj.org website.

The www.TOS50.com website attracts primarily the baby-boomer generation and older seniors who are not intimidated by the Internet. Having a front-row seat, so to speak, to look at and listen to the President of the United States addressing a very large crowd of liberal Jews was an incredible experience for me. I couldn’t help but think back to how short a time had passed since the President of the United States thought it was not in his best interests to rescue a ship load of Jewish people trying to escape certain death at the hands of Hitler. When I graduated high school, years later, attending an Ivy League college was not an option. The quota system prevalent in colleges and universities across the country was designed to keep most Jews out. A few of the elite among us were able to crack that barrier, but most of my Jewish contemporaries attended local schools or state schools where we were more accepted. Queens College is my alma mater — and, on the positive side, it was FREE. My uncle graduated at the top of his class from Cooper Union and was unable to find a job as an engineer because, at that time, no one hired Jewish engineers. He instead worked in the New York City Civil Service System as a City Inspector.

So here we are, within our own lifetime, having lived through overt anti-Semitism, to now seeing that the President of the United States believes we are important enough to warrant an in-person visit. That’s amazing! How fortunate we all are to be living in this great country, which has allowed us to achieve our dreams and fulfill our potential. How far have we come? This is the time of year when we Jews remember the Miracle of Chanukah, and it’s important for us to do that; but for our generation there is another miracle: for us the miracle is the number of Jewish students currently attending Ivy League Colleges.

It is time for us to give thanks to the generations that came before us and in the spirit of their memory to help those who have yet to achieve their own miracle.

Featured on www.tos50.com this week is an “End of the Year Lament” by former Mayor Ed Koch: http://tos50.com/news. Mayor Koch, as always, speaks his mind. Also of interest, Green Jenine interviews Fran Metzger, the Recycling Coordinator for New Jersey’s Monmouth County – learn how to shop environmentally so you can make a difference in 2012: http://tos50.com/video/environmental-shopping.

We still have some great buys in our TOS50 E-Store. A new, very attractive item, is our beaded Autism Bracelet. For only $13.50 you have an opportunity to support families of autistic children, while wearing a colorful and attractive bracelet: http://tos50.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/autism-bracelet.

Have a great week.

Sandy Tankoos, President and Founder

www.tos50.com

As Time Goes By

Sandy — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:02:44 +0000

I have been interviewed on radio several times on behalf of www.tos50.com, however, this past week I was interviewed on local television in New York for the very first time. I spoke with Bonnie D. Graham and her mom, Ruth Dolgow, on their “Senior Moments: The Happy Ones” program. Jenine called into the show and we had an enjoyable conversation, which you can see for yourself at: http://tos50.com/video/tos50-interviewed-bonnie-d-graham, Of course, the one thing that always surprises me when I see myself in photos or videos is what I look like. Somehow, I always expect that the person I was, probably 30 years ago, to appear, but not surprisingly, that doesn’t happen and I am disappointed. However, time marches on and so must we all.

Can you believe this weather? Not even November yet and we have snow. This doesn’t bode well for the rest of the winter (ugh).

We posted two separate interviews with former New York City Mayor Ed Koch on the website this past week. In the first interview the Mayor speaks with David Schwartz about President Obama and Israel, http://tos50.com/video/what-does-ed-koch-really-think-about-president-obama-and-israel; in the second interview he talks about his accomplishments and his legacy, http://tos50.com/video/mayor-ed-koch-his-legacy-mayor-new-york-city. I think he’s definitely more relaxed in the second interview, but let me know what you think.

The holidays are approaching and we will soon be posting some new merchandise in our e-store; I am searching for great holiday gifts. However, I just want to mention that our lite-up reading glasses and our sterling silver Mother-Earth Charm Bracelet make wonderful presents — along with our Mrs. Pinkelmyer doll, who is loved by children and grandmothers alike. Shop now at http://tos50.myshopify.com/.

Have a great week.

Sandy Tankoos, President and Founder

www.tos50.com

Great Things Are Happening!

Sandy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:44:00 +0000

I went with David Schwartz to interview Ed Koch on Friday — he is as candid as ever. I hope to have the first part of the interview up on www.tos50.com before the end of the week.

When I was in my early 50′s someone very close to me and not much older than I was had a stroke. I watched he and his wife go through their savings while he was recovering, and for me that was very frightening. Strokes run in my family. My mom died of a stroke; her father had a stroke; her sister had a stroke, et cetera. At the time I don’t know what scared me more, having a stroke or having to use all of our savings while recovering. At that point I sort of had an epiphany: I could better my eating habits and begin exercising more (which I did), but my genes still left me with a high risk of having a stroke; however, I could do something about paying for a long recovery. That was when I convinced my husband that we both needed to buy long-term care health insurance.

Early 50′s is young to be searching for a long-term care health insurance policy, but we did just that. I called an insurance broker who brought us various plans to look at and we did decide to buy one. It wasn’t cheap, but peace of mind is worth a lot. That was one of the smarter things that I have done in my life. A year after taking out the policy I developed an aggressive form of breast cancer. With the help of God, friends and family I managed to survive that experience, without using my long-term care policy, but buying such a policy after a recovery from cancer would have been very difficult, if not impossible, and/or very costly. Insurance companies like to insure people who they consider a low risk. When they have to leave their comfort zone, we wind up paying for it! I mention this because we have information about long term care insurance on the website this week, and I hope you will take the time to read about it: http://tos50.com/news/who-needs-long-term-care-insurance.

Also current on www.tos50.com is a video about a visit I made to the Mohican Trading Post, a fabulous, store in Leeds, New York, about ten minutes from Catskill. You MUST look at all of the unusual and amazing products they are selling. Just one, for example, if you want to go down Memory Lane, is a Davey Crockett hat. Don’t we all remember The Ballad of Davey Crockett? Also, make sure to look at all of the Indian artifacts, fabulous dolls, crafts, animal figurines, music boxes, et cetera — and above all, be sure to ask for an egg cream from their old-fashioned fountain. http://tos50.com/sections/profiles-0.

Please continue to see what new items we will be adding very shortly to our E-store. Our lite-up reading glasses continue to be very popular. You can read with ease on airplanes, dark rooms, in bed while your partner sleeps, et cetera — and in public, they are very stylish: http://tos50.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/lite-up-readers-1

Have a great week.

Sandy Tankoos, President and Founder

TOS50.com

The New Reality

Sandy — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:43:58 +0000

In our day, many of us who consider ourselves the Baby-Boomer generation and older, as a group, didn’t hesitate to grab a picket and be hauled off to jail standing up for what we believed in – but we had opportunity laid out in front of us and I think that we all understood that once we won our battles, we could walk back into reality and our lives could and would continue – but because we knew that opportunity in America wasn’t equal for all people, some of us also marched in Selma or marched in Washington, and worked toward a goal of having the United States really become a land of opportunity for all Americans.

Today, much of what we fought for has become reality. Our universities no longer have quotas (or at least they say they don’t), African Americans and Hispanics are our neighbors and hopefully our friends — and most certainly they are our colleagues in the working world; nevertheless, many people believe it is necessary to fight for equality once again — equality between the working class (when they’re fortunate enough to have a job) and those who have much more than they need.

I certainly don’t mean to sound like a socialist, although I admit to coming from socialist roots on my dad’s side of the family; however, I am definitely a capitalist. I believe that if someone is smart enough to move ahead in business or build their own business that earns them a great deal of money, those people are entitled to that money and all of the luxuries that come with it — but it’s not fair that those who earn a lot of money pay a considerably lower tax rate than citizens who are not at that same income level. Consequently, I fail to understand why they can’t agree on that in Congress or why it’s even necessary for people to be picketing on Wall Street for equality at this point – albeit the equality they are fighting for is of a different nature, and it’s a sad situation.

I understand the argument that it’s the rich and successful who create jobs and therefore should be given these tax “breaks” as an incentive for them to keep investing in America’s future, but apparently it’s not working and they are not investing. The banks were bailed out and now are sitting on their money while the average working person is paying the bill for the bailout. Somehow that doesn’t seem fair. Before President Clinton left office those now getting these tax breaks were paying their fair share and they were investing in America’s future as well. Why are they now considered an entitled class? We are sending jobs overseas because big business has learned that it’s financially advantageous for them to do that — but would we really want our working class American citizens to be living in hovels or working 15 hours a day under the same conditions that we are supporting in the third-world countries that we’re sending our jobs to? In some cases we are sending jobs to countries that use and abuse children in factories to do this work. Yes, it costs more at times to manufacture products here at home, but don’t we all have an obligation to respect our own citizens and allow them to earn a livable wage so they can support their families, continue to build America and live the American dream? I believe that if you are earning money in America, it’s your duty to support other Americans who live here and use your products.

Those picketing on Wall Street and other places around the country have my sympathy. I’m past the point in life of wanting to get arrested to make a point, but I understand what they are doing and where they are coming from. Let’s hope that those who are in a position to make a difference are also listening.

We have some exciting videos and articles coming up on the www.tos50.com website — more about our shelter dogs, we’ll be hearing from Jenine in our Green section, and most notably, we will be interviewing former Mayor of New York, Ed Koch and looking forward to putting up that video for our viewers.

Be sure to visit our E-store and check out all of our great products. Our beautiful Mother Earth silver bracelet makes a wonderful gift, or you can buy yourself a special treat: http://tos50.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/sterling-silver-bracelet; and Mrs. Pinkelmeyer is enjoyed by grandmothers and children alike: http://tos50.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/mrs-pinkelmeyer-and-moopus-mcglinden-custom-plush-doll. Visit Mrs. Pinkelmeyer and the products associated with her.

Have a great week.

Sandy Tankoos, President and Founder

www.tos50.com

It was Great Seeing So Many Friends at the Fair

Sandy — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:51:57 +0000

I was riding really high yesterday. It was terrific to meet so many members of www.TOS50.com at the over 50 Fair in Melville, Long Island and to hear the nice things that you all had to say about the website. Hopefully, we also made some new friends while we were there.

Wednesday evening is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. I want to wish a Shana Tova (Happy New Year) to all of our Jewish friends. In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, we will be featuring an interview with Cantor Gabi Arad of Temple Sinai in Roslyn beginning tomorrow. Be sure to go to www.tos50.com to see her interview and to hear her beautiful rendition of Alvinu Malkeinu . We did interview Rabbi Michael White last year about the meaning of the High Holiday Season for Jewish people. You can see what he had to say at: http://tos50.com/search/node/Michael%20White%20type%3Anews%2Cstory%2Cvideo.

Please visit our E-store and check out some of the great things we have to sell. The autism insulated lunch bags were a big hit at the Fair yesterday. The price is right and your purchase will help GASAK, a charity that supports families living with autism. Lunch bags are available at: http://tos50.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/lunch-bags-insulated-1

Have a great week.

Sandy Tankoos, President and Founder

www.tos50.com

Politics – Does anyone really know what’s happening?

Sandy — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:43:22 +0000

I live in New York, a liberal state, and in my younger years I was about as far left as anyone could be. However, it’s interesting how differently we view the world at different times of our lives.

The ninth district in New York, a Democratic stronghold, last week voted into office a Republican Congressman for the first very time since 1920. Not only is Bob Turner a Republican, but he is Christian; his opponent, David Weprin, is a Democrat and a Jew, and the Ninth District has a high concentration of Jewish people. Of course, this is former Representative Anthony Weiner’s district. Anthony Weiner was yet another Congressman whose questionable personal behavior forced him to resign.

So now the pundits are busy trying to decide just why this has happened. Could it be that voters in the district were disgusted with Congressman Weiner, a Democrat, and chose to send a message to him and others who would violate the trust that is placed in them when they are elected? Is it simply that people are just very unhappy with President Obama and were sending him a message? David Weprin claimed the poll was a referendum on the president, rather than a reflection on his own ability as a candidate and as a potential congressman. However, if these voters are unhappy with President Obama, exactly why are they unhappy? Are they unhappy over the fact that their children are graduating college and can’t find jobs? Perhaps these voters are out of work themselves. Are they unhappy because they believe President Obama has held policies that are hurting Israel? Could it be the fact that their retirement funds are going in the wrong direction? Perhaps it’s all of the above, but it’s not easy to figure out.

I suppose the big question is, what will our friends in the White House do at this point? Have they heard the message? We can wait and see what they choose to do, or we can be pro-active and let those in power know what we think they ought to do. We’ve been down difficult roads before, but this is America and I have complete faith that we will be turning the corner in the near future. As long as we have the ability to vote people in and out of office, and as long as we have telephones, e-mail and stationery and postage to allow us to let those who represent us know what we think, it is within our power to make the changes we believe are necessary.

I would like to remind everyone that TOS50.com will have a table at the Over 50 Fair at the Melville Marriott on Sunday, September 25th. If you purchase tickets to the fair in advance, discount tickets are available for friends of TOS50.com. Just go to the Over 50 Fair website: http://www.over50fair.com/Tickets_c_14.html Use the coupon code TOS50 and you will receive two tickets for the price of one. To learn more about the Fair check out our video at: http://tos50.com/video/over-50-fair. The Melville Marriott is located at 1350 Walt Whitman Road, in Melville, Long Island.

Please remember to check out all of the great merchandise in our E-store at: http://tos50.myshopify.com/. Have a great week.

Sandy Tankoos, Founder & President

www.tos50.com

Nature’s Fury!

Sandy — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:34:40 +0000

What a week this has been for those of us living in the northeast! I’ve been told that I did get my electricity back earlier today. However, I am not home on Long Island at the moment, but upstate New York at my vacation house in Green County. Green County has also been hard hit by Irene; however, I was more fortunate with this house as my particular community only lost electric for a few hours and while I’m not sure how or why, we’re in pretty good condition — somehow, we escaped Irene’s wrath. Driving around the community though has been sad. There is just so much devastation.

I did manage to get a make-shift video online about the storm. I say “make shift” because I didn’t have my usual computer equipment or programs with me to work with, and the stores that I could have purchased duplicates from were closed. I did the best I could with what was available and I don’t love the results, but the video sort of tells the story of the storm in my neighborhood of Long Island: http://tos50.com/video/goodnight-irene.

This has been a very difficult year weather wise for all of us in the northeast — and other parts of the country as well. In New York, we have had an extraordinarily cold winter, a terrible allergy season, an earthquake and a hurricane. It is as if the weather is adjusting to the recession/depression that we seem to be living in and adjusting to the mood of the country. Let’s hope for some good news on all fronts in the immediate future.

Available right now on the www.tos50.com website is a great article by travel agent “Commodore” Camille Pepe Sperrazza about her recent cruise to Greenland. She’s a great travel agent and she can arrange this trip or one just as interesting for you as well. Check her out at: http://tos50.com/story/fire-ice-cruise-greenland-iceland-shetland-islands-scotland-newfoundland.

I recently interviewed teacher/author Lynda Aron about her new book Your Write to Heal. You can see the interview at: http://tos50.com/video/your-write-heal-lynda-aron. Our book section continues to review interesting, provocative books that members of our generation might find interesting. I do hope you are checking out our book reviews on a regular basis.

Green Jenine has two exciting exclusive interviews that will be coming up shortly regarding the World Trade Center, 9/11, and the plantings at the Memorial site. I do hope you make sure to see those. The first interview will be online within the next week, before 9/11.

Our E-store is featuring insulated lunch bags, a great gift for children and grand children. 50 percent of the cost of the lunch bags will be donated to GASAK, an organization of grandparents working to help families living with autism. http://tos50.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/lunch-bags-insulated-1.

Enjoy the holiday weekend coming up, and have a great week.

Sandy Tankoos,

President and Founder, TOS50.com

Looking Up in a Downward Spiral

Sandy — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:50:03 +0000

It’s really hard to find good news these days, most particularly for those of us living on fixed incomes – we look at the stock market and try hard not to panic, but it’s not easy. Greece, Italy, England, Spain, et al — when we were children we had no idea that our financial survival could depend on the countries our ancestors left behind. Nevertheless, we must remain optimistic about the future and keep smiling because our emotional survival depends on our having a positive outlook on life.

So what is there to be positive about? Well, I think it’s important to focus on the particular rather than the big picture. This may sound corny but it is nevertheless true: children are being born, and in many cases they’re our children or grandchildren; they are our hope for the future, and perhaps they will achieve all those wonderful ideals that we have been striving for throughout our lives that remain undone. Our generation was responsible for moving civil rights forward and for ending what we believed was an unjust war in Vietnam. We fought the battle for equality for women and minorities. In this regard, while we may not yet have achieved total fairness for everyone, we certainly can be proud of what we have accomplished. However, rather than rest on our laurels, it was and is our job to create a world where our aspirations and our passions are passed on to the next generation — and to hope that while our children gain inspiration from our successes, they also learn from our mistakes and thus allow their own ambitions to make this world a better place to live in for the generations that will follow. We can help the economy by purchasing a gift for our children, but most important, we can help make the world a better place to live in by passing on to our children the gift of knowledge along with our dreams for a better tomorrow.

I am very excited to report that www.tos50.com, our exciting website geared toward those on “The Other Side of 50,” sent out its first real newsletter which was very well received. This newsletter and those that follow will point our viewers to what is happening on the website.

The www.tos50.com E-store has some great new products. In keeping with the ideals of the baby-boomer generation, many of the items on sale in our E-store, http://tos50.myshopify.com/, support the charities that we are involved in. Our pet supplies support the North Hempstead Animal Shelter, http://tos50.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/squueze-me-furry-chipmonk-for-your-dog, while our picture frames, scarves and lunch bags support GASAK (Grandparent Advocates Supporting Autistic Kids). If you or your children/grandchildren need an insulated lunch bag, please be sure to see our colorful, popularly priced supply: http://tos50.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/lunch-bags-insulated-1.

Have a great week, and remember to visit us at www.tos50.com, the website for the baby-boomer generation and for all of us on “The Other Side of 50.”

Sandy Tankoos, President and Founder

www.tos50.com

News of the Week in Politics!

Sandy — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:56:15 +0000

So, what a week this has been! Here we are, the United States of America, perched on the edge of a precipice, waiting to fall off the edge … and how did we get here? The politicians we elected put us here.

If there is a lesson for all of us that will come out of this mess, it is that we need politicians who can compromise. We can’t elect extremists who won’t budge from their positions, whether it be on the far right or on the far left. Tea Party candidates have to learn how to read the tea leaves and those who would turn us into a socialist state have to stand back, read the Constiuttion and remember that the United States is not England and that we rejected their form of government all those years ago. If we do nothing else, that’s the message we should send to Washington this November and in the years to come.

WWW.TOS50.com is doing quite well with helping to find homes for dogs living at the North Hempstead Animal Shelter. Thus far, every dog we have introduced to our viewers has been adopted. It’s now time for you to meet Abbey and Huey, currently looking for a home: http://tos50.com/video/abbey-and-huey-looking-home.

We are also featuring the artwork of Yale Epstein, a Woodstock artist whose work will be exhibited at Lotus Fine Arts and Design in Woodstock from August 13, 2011 – September 11, 2011. Yale Epstein is an artist on “The Other Side of 50,” who has recently changed his medium and the results are definitely worth a trip to Woodstock to see what he has accomplished — only if you are in driving distance, please: http://tos50.com/video/artist-yale-epstein.

In the coming weeks we will be featuring an interview with Lynda Aron, who is a writer/teacher who recently published her new book, as well as a motorcycle club that runs a fund raiser for amyloidosis every year and an interview with Jamie Barthel of the Lotus Gallery in Woodstock. We also have introduced some new products into the www.tos50 E-store. Take a look at our picture frames and dog toys. A percentage of the sales of these items is donated to the charities they are connected with: Picture frames benefit GASAK, an organization that helps families living with autism, and a purchase of one of our dog toys allows us to make a donation to the North Hempstead Animal Shelter in New York. Come visit us and view all of our products on sale at: http://tos50.myshopify.com/.

Have a great week — and remember, we’re the ones who elect our representatives.

Sandy Tankoos,

President and Founder, www.tos50.com

Vacations

Sandy — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:38:02 +0000

When I was part of the 900 – 5:00 working world, vacations were important. Planning two or three weeks away from the pressures of daily living took a lot of thought, and planning a vacation, any vacation, in and of itself was a pleasant diversion from my pressure-filled days. Escape was important! However, now that I’ve sold my business and can more or less go where I want, when I want, vacations seem to have less meaning — in fact, I never think about it at all. Most of my time away from home is spent visiting my children and grandchildren, none of whom exactly live around the corner.

I do have friends who seem to still enjoy traveling, but for me the airport adventure is so exhausting that I almost feel that for the most part, if I have to fly to get there, it’s not worth the hassle of going. Just a few weeks ago I went to the airport to pick up my granddaughter Samantha, who was a child traveling alone. I arrived at the airport an hour and 10 minutes before the plane was due to land. I stood on line to get a pass that allowed me to go through security and wait for her in the boarding area as she got off the plane.

I got the pass, went on to the security area where I waited in line for 15 minutes. I was about to go through the scanner, when I was informed by the security personnel that my pass was no good. The agent who gave it to me had written it out by hand and new regulations required that it be done online so that my name could be passed through the “No-Fly List.” Okay, I thought, I’m glad to know they’re being so much more careful these days, and I walked back to the ticketing area, explained the situation and asked for a new pass. The agent apologized for the error, filled out a new form for me, and told me that he would walk me back to the security area and put me at the front of the line.

The two of us hurried back to security, as time was growing short and I was beginning to be concerned that Samantha would get off the plane and not find me waiting for her. The agent brought me to the front of the line, as promised, but then discovered that although he had filled out the pass online as he was supposed to, some of the information he put in was not correct and they would not allow me to go through security until the pass was filled out correctly. So the agent asked me to wait right where I was while he rushed back to redo the ticket for a third time. This took another 10 to 15 minutes.

The end of this story is that although I arrived at the airport an hour and 10 minutes before my granddaughter’s plane was due to land, I actually walked to the gate a few minutes after her plane had arrived, just as she was passing through the doorway with the steward who was assigned to help her, and she was looking for me with a panicked expression on her face because she wasn’t finding me. Putting Sam back on the plane to go home was not much better. We arrived at the airport at 8:30 a.m. for a 10:00 a.m. flight. The plane didn’t leave until 4:00 p.m. The weather outside was beautiful. It was not raining, no wind, no logical reason for the delay.

Vacation? At this point, I’m going anyplace I can drive to.

We have an exciting week ahead on the www.tos50.com website. At the moment we are featuring a fabulous recipe for baked stuffed french toast — more than wonderful for a holiday brunch: http://tos50.com/story/baked-stuffed-french-toast. Later on in the week we are planning to feature the Lotus Fine Arts Gallery in Woodstock, NY, which we have featured in the past (http://tos50.com/video/lotus-fine-arts-interview).

We are also quite excited about the fact that all of the shelter dogs we have introduced our viewers to have been adopted. Consequently, we will be showing off two new dogs to our audience over the coming week. If you have a dog, be sure to look at the great dog toys that we now have available at very attractive prices in the TOS 50 E-store: http://tos50.myshopify.com/collections/types?q=Dog+Toys.

Have a great week.

Sandy Tankoos, Founder and President