I used to think that the Milchig restaurants and dairy producers were making a mockery of the 9 days...

And let's not forget the newspapers, magazines and websites that enable them.... With their fancy ads and recipes. Cheese dripping and melting ice cream. But then I started paying attention to the Artscroll ads ------------- The ads that make you think it's Chanukah in August. I think it's worse. A lot worse. Because at least with an ice cream or fish ad I know that it's about the food. And I know that they're trying to get their market share. With the Artscroll ad I am lead to believe that they're helping me mourn. REALLY mourn. Mourn interlinearly, transliteratedly, and any other which way. From Soloveitchik to Kanievsky, (Sorry, they don't do Soloveitchik) and anything in between. But it's not. Take your .75c kinos, and maybe buy a מדרש איכה with a פירוש. Anything else is just wrong. You can even learn הניזקין with the English Artscoll, but don't do anymore than that. If you do you're just a pawn in their evil chess game.

ויה"ר שיהפכו ימים אלו לששון ולשמחה

Tired of your אשכנזי תשעה באב?

try the Sefardi Spanish/Portuguese נוסח instead

 It may be long and drawn out, but if you're musical you'll enjoy it, at least for one year. They have real nusach for kinos, which brings new meaning to what you're saying. אחב"י הספרדים seem to have alot more tolerance when it comes to shul and services in general. They can daven forever, even the irreligious ones. Speaking of which, I see that they have the end of fast listed at 8:53pm in NYC tomorrow. That's a whopping 27 minutes post-Shkiah. Can somebody tell us what shittah/shiur they use when calculating the EOF? Is that they z'man for motzoei Shabbos too?

Have yourselves a "Meaningful" תשעה באב

א "חסידי'ישע" ווארט פון הגאון רבי מאיר שמחה זצ"ל