I can’t thank JDate enough because I met the most incredible man in the world, who is now my best friend and partner in crime.

Upon the recent death of North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il, the press rehashed what is known about the repressive regime, certainly causing many to wonder how any leader could cause such harm to his own people without even a pang of conscience. Reading about modern tyrants, those who cause some or all of their nation’s people to suffer, provides a unique perspective on the actions of Pharaoh of Exodus.

There is nothing more fragrant and sensuous than roasted pineapple. I am sort of iffy about pineapple when sliced in a fruit salad, but when pineapple is bathed and basted in dark rum and vanilla, it becomes a sweet and exotic treat. Roasted pineapple gives off its juices which are thick and perfumed with pineapple essence and a pureed banana. For all the non-bakers out there, this dessert is for you. Simple and requiring minimal kitchen skills, roasted pineapple will make you look like a dessert genius. Save the juices and drizzle on ice cream or pound cake.

The collected, and posthumously published, works of renowned rabbis often provide deep insights into the rabbis personal philosophies. An excellent example of one such work is Michtav May’Eliyahu,* (A Letter from Eliyahu), one of the most popular “Mussar” volumes today, expounding on Jewish thought and ethical conduct.

The New Year should not be a time of feeling bad about oneself.  It should be a time of optimism and hope when it comes to online dating.  Think of the month of January as a completely fresh slate.  When it comes to online dating, sometimes we just need that symbolic fresh start to get things moving in the right direction again.

“Rabbi Gamaliel sat and expounded, ‘The Land of Israel is destined to bring forth [whole] cakes and wool robes [straight from the ground]… But a certain disciple scoffed at him, quoting, ‘there is no new thing under the sun!’ ‘Come, and I will show you their equal in this world,’ replied he. He went and showed him morels and truffles [mushrooms which appear complete overnight]; and for silk robes [he showed him] the bark of a young palm-shoot [which has a downy, silk-like texture inside]” (Shabbat 30b).

Columnist Diana Amsterdam muses on the state of affairs (or lack thereof) for women over 50 in our culture today. Amsterdam says women of a certain age are just as beautiful, amorous and confident as ever. Still, they must meet new challenges when it comes to finding love and sex, or just sex, or heck, even just a cuddle. This month, Amsterdam explores the intriguing (yet mostly hypothetical) question: “Is casual sex easier as we get older?”

I didn’t need any more excuses for happiness to let the world know that JDate gave me my life I always dreamed of. 

Those familiar with Jewish history are well aware of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain that occurred concurrently with Columbus’ sailing for the new world. A great number of these exiles fled to Portugal, where the already sad tale only grew sadder.

Keep it fresh. That sounds like something we’d probably see on a head of lettuce at the supermarket. Or maybe it’s something some rapper would say on his new album. But, when I say, “Keep it fresh,” believe it or not, I’m talking about your JDate profile.

A lot of people recently stated their New Year’s resolution as, “I will find love in 2012.” If you’re one of those people, read on to find out how you can make this the year you find “The One”!