Blog/May 2009/May 8th - Revision history

Ron at 12:12, 15 May 2009

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Ron at 10:04, 8 May 2009

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Ron at 10:02, 8 May 2009

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Ron at 09:51, 8 May 2009

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Ron at 09:49, 8 May 2009

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Ron at 17:22, 2 May 2009

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Ron: New page: {{subst: :Blog/Latest}}

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{{blog}}
{{bheader|Mar 1st|Devar/5769/Acharei-mot-Kedoshim}}

Hi again!

Help [[tsedaka|feed the hungry]] in Israel!

Update on the ant obliteration campaign: situation under control for now! Last week I told you I put out some home-made poison syrup for the ants. Now I can tell you that the first day there were some ants on the bait, the second day there were a lot, and the third day there were hardly any. I then switched the bait for fresh stuff, and no ants came -- and in fact there were only one or two ants to be seen in the kitchen. So while they were coming in to take the bait, I spied a hole in the wall from which they were coming. Once they ceased coming in, I plastered the hole -- and so far, B"H, we have been ant-free this week.

I forgot to include a picture of [[media:challah.jpeg|Esther's challah]], which she wanted me to post. And she's reminding me to mention the ''sheseq'' chicken she made with some of the ''sheseq'' we picked last week from out tree. It was a sort of Persian recipe, and came out delicious. This week we picked a lot more ''sheseq'' -- we're going to have to find a way to use it all.

This past week was Israeli Independence Day ({{hebs|יום העצמאות}}), which is generally celebrated by barbecuing entire herds of animals and firing off fireworks. We ''were'' going to go see the fireworks in the central park in Maale Adummim, but instead we watched from the comfort of our "office" room. As it happened, we could see everything perfectly and didn't have to leave the comfort of our home.

The following day (Independence Day day), we were invited to friends of friends of our friends, out by {{wiki|Rosh HaAyin}} -- for a festive day. After we had been invited there, cousins of mine invited us to their place, but we had to turn them down since we'd already accepted the other invitation. Once there, we met a lot of other ''olim'' -- who were all from Cleveland and, it turns out, all seemed to know the parents of the cousin who had invited us over! Small world ...

For the 61st Independence Day, someone posted a list of [http://www.whatwarzone.com/2009/04/you-wanted-ityou-got-it-61-more-things.html 61 things he liked about Israel]. I can add a few more: 1) Any kind of furniture can be made twice as expensive if the term "`ets male'" (solid wood) appears in the name -- even if the closest it came to wood was the pulp used to print the advertisment 2) Israelis are not shy about correcting you about your mistaken choices. "You don't want that ice cream!". 3) I can look out my window, see the holy city of Jerusalem, smell the sweet aroma of roses from my garden and hear the din of the muezzin all at the same time. 4) Everybody in Israel is only two people away from the Prime Minister (most are only one). It's a ''small'' country.

Work has been incredibly stressful, since my particular product is the first thing we're shipping, and it's going to go onto CDs to accompany our customer's products in stores. It has to work correctly or we don't sell our actual product (which is downloaded by my product). So I've been worn out and stressed, but now I can see the end of the tunnel. Next week should be less stressful, B"H.

I didn't realize there was a good physical reason to dislike our old neighborhood here, but according to this [http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/14/9/1424-F2.htm report from the CDC], where we used to live has the highest incidence of {{wiki|Leishmaniasis}} in Maale Adummim!

Travelers in the Indian Ocean have recently been the targets of Somali pirates. Not too long ago, some of the pirates got more than they bargained for when they attacked an Italian cruise liner and encountered [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517955,00.html the Israeli security detachment] on board. That's how to take care of business!

This shabbat Sarah will be staying over at her partner in hair-crime Rivqua's place. We hope she has a great time, and we'll miss her!

Until next week,<br>
Shabbat shalom!

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@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 It was a productive week -- I released my company's first shipping product (and now feel much less stress, thank you).  We went for a "teacher conference" night at Sarah's school, and she is doing well academically.  We gave our plants a little water and they started taking over the house.  And this shabbat we will have, B"H, guests staying with us (seminary girls).
-Unfortunately, Sarah was sick at the beginning of the week, and missed school because of it.  Then she got better -- but yesterday developed a fever.  So today we went to the doctor and found out she has strep-throat!  Not a great way to start off shabbat, but at least she's got antibiotics now and should be better, God willing, by Monday or so.
+Unfortunately, Sarah was sick at the beginning of the week, and missed school because of it.  Then she got better -- but yesterday developed a fever.  So today we went to the doctor and found out she has {{wiki|strep throat}}!  Not a great way to start off shabbat, but at least she's got antibiotics now and should be better, God willing, by Monday or so.
 Daniela will be coming back for the summer, B"H, in two weeks.  An obligatory part of travelling back and forth from the US is bringing "stuff" that is hard to get here.  I'm seriously thinking about having her bring back [http://www.amazon.com/Star-Interactive-Astromech-Droid-Robot/dp/B001E95SQ2 our very own 'droid]...

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 I pass the [http://ilovejerusalem.blogspot.com/2009/04/talitha-kumi.html Talithakumi] landmark in downtown Jerusalem almost every day, and I never knew what "Talithakumi" was supposed to mean.  Now I know, and I hope we ship it back to the [http://www.talithakumi.org/IndexE.html school] and expel them from our country, so we don't have it in the middle of downtown Jerusalem.   I wonder how many of the pedestrians there have any idea they have words from the xtian bible right over their heads?  Or that the organization whose portal that was, doesn't recognize Israel?
-Help [[tsedaka|feed the hungry]] in Israel!
+You can help [[tsedaka|feed the hungry]] in Israel!
 Until next week,<br>

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 Hi again!
-It was a productive week -- I released my company's first shipping product (and now feel much less stress, thank you).  We went for a "teacher conference" night at Sarah's school, and she is doing well academically.  We gave our plants a little water and they started taking over the house.  And this shabbat we will have, b"h, guests staying with us (seminary girls).
+It was a productive week -- I released my company's first shipping product (and now feel much less stress, thank you).  We went for a "teacher conference" night at Sarah's school, and she is doing well academically.  We gave our plants a little water and they started taking over the house.  And this shabbat we will have, B"H, guests staying with us (seminary girls).
 Unfortunately, Sarah was sick at the beginning of the week, and missed school because of it.  Then she got better -- but yesterday developed a fever.  So today we went to the doctor and found out she has strep-throat!  Not a great way to start off shabbat, but at least she's got antibiotics now and should be better, God willing, by Monday or so.
 One of my weekly study-partners is also an occasional blog-writer.  His [http://alittlebiteast.blogspot.com/2009/05/primordial-blob-meets-bochrim.html last installment] was particularly interesting to me, and I concur with much of what he says.  But I would like to elaborate a bit on the {{wiki|Ptolemy}} vs. {{wiki|Copernicus}} issue.  It is not precisely true that Copernicus was right (that the Earth orbits the Sun) and Ptolemy was wrong (that the Sun orbits the Earth).  Neither is really correct, as they both orbit the combined center-of-gravity of the solar system (which itself orbits the center-of-gravity of the Milky Way galaxy, and so on ...).  From a practical standpoint (as {{wiki|Einstein}}'s {{wiki|theory of relativity}} makes clear), it makes no difference whether one chooses the Sun as the stationary frame of reference, or instead chooses the Earth.  For day-to-day needs, it is just as useful to follow Ptolemy as Copernicus, and for some purposes easier to have a stationary Earth.
@@ Line 15: / Line 17: @@
 More Israeli goodness... Sarah says, "confidence is good" -- but there is indeed such a thing as [http://howtobeisraeli.blogspot.com/2009/05/you-are-never-too-old-to-wear-spandex.html too much confidence].   The Israeli equivalent of "The Amazing Race" (called here "The Race for a Million") has Israelis traveling the world and performing feats just like the American version.  Encouragingly, one of the (non-religious) media stars here [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/131039 refused to show a clip from it] because it shows Israelis eating things forbidden by ''halacha''.
-You Americans who are about to [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710872635&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull make aliyah], take note. We came from the land of latex gloves and {{wiki|Purel}}, to the Land where random people off the street put their hands into the salad-bar.  From a land where people Lysol their toilets, to the Land where some think the street ''is'' the toilet.  From a land where people politely ask "how are you doing" (though they don't care), to the Land where people tell you what you should be doing (because they do care).
+You Americans who are about to [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710872635&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull make aliyah], take note. We came from the land of latex gloves and {{wiki|Purel}}, to the Land where random people off the street put their hands into the salad-bar.  From a land where people Lysol their toilets, to the Land where some think the street ''is'' the toilet.  From a land where people politely ask "how are you doing" (though they don't care), to the Land where people tell you what you should be doing (because they do care).  From a land where our activities were of little importance, to the Land where we are bringing the ultimate redemption one step closer simply by being here.  There is ''no place better'' for a Jew to be!
 I pass the [http://ilovejerusalem.blogspot.com/2009/04/talitha-kumi.html Talithakumi] landmark in downtown Jerusalem almost every day, and I never knew what "Talithakumi" was supposed to mean.  Now I know, and I hope we ship it back to the [http://www.talithakumi.org/IndexE.html school] and expel them from our country, so we don't have it in the middle of downtown Jerusalem.   I wonder how many of the pedestrians there have any idea they have words from the xtian bible right over their heads?  Or that the organization whose portal that was, doesn't recognize Israel?

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 Hi again!
 It was a productive week -- I released my company's first shipping product (and now feel much less stress, thank you).  We went for a "teacher conference" night at Sarah's school, and she is doing well academically.  We gave our plants a little water and they started taking over the house.  And this shabbat we will have, b"h, guests staying with us (seminary girls).
@@ Line 13: / Line 11: @@
 Unfortunately, Sarah was sick at the beginning of the week, and missed school because of it.  Then she got better -- but yesterday developed a fever.  So today we went to the doctor and found out she has strep-throat!  Not a great way to start off shabbat, but at least she's got antibiotics now and should be better, God willing, by Monday or so.
-One of my weekly study-partners is also an occasional blog-writer.  His [http://alittlebiteast.blogspot.com/2009/05/primordial-blob-meets-bochrim.html last installment] was particularly interesting to me, and I concur with much of what he says.  But I would like to elaborate a bit on the {{wiki|Ptolemy}} vs. {{wiki|Copernicus}} issue.  It is not precisely true that Copernicus was right (that the Earth orbits the Sun) and Ptolemy was wrong (that the Sun orbits the Earth).  Neither is really correct, as they orbit the combined center-of-gravity of the solar system (and the solar system itself orbits the center-of-gravity of the Milky Way galaxy, and so on ...).  But from a practical standpoint (as {{wiki|Einstein}}'s {{wiki|theory of relativity}} makes clear), it makes no difference whether one chooses the Sun as the stationary frame of reference, or instead chooses the Earth.  For day-to-day needs, it is just as useful to follow Ptolemy as Copernicus, and for some purposes easier to have a stationary Earth.
+One of my weekly study-partners is also an occasional blog-writer.  His [http://alittlebiteast.blogspot.com/2009/05/primordial-blob-meets-bochrim.html last installment] was particularly interesting to me, and I concur with much of what he says.  But I would like to elaborate a bit on the {{wiki|Ptolemy}} vs. {{wiki|Copernicus}} issue.  It is not precisely true that Copernicus was right (that the Earth orbits the Sun) and Ptolemy was wrong (that the Sun orbits the Earth).  Neither is really correct, as they both orbit the combined center-of-gravity of the solar system (which itself orbits the center-of-gravity of the Milky Way galaxy, and so on ...).  From a practical standpoint (as {{wiki|Einstein}}'s {{wiki|theory of relativity}} makes clear), it makes no difference whether one chooses the Sun as the stationary frame of reference, or instead chooses the Earth.  For day-to-day needs, it is just as useful to follow Ptolemy as Copernicus, and for some purposes easier to have a stationary Earth.
 More Israeli goodness... Sarah says, "confidence is good" -- but there is indeed such a thing as [http://howtobeisraeli.blogspot.com/2009/05/you-are-never-too-old-to-wear-spandex.html too much confidence].   The Israeli equivalent of "The Amazing Race" (called here "The Race for a Million") has Israelis traveling the world and performing feats just like the American version.  Encouragingly, one of the (non-religious) media stars here [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/131039 refused to show a clip from it] because it shows Israelis eating things forbidden by ''halacha''.
@@ Line 20: / Line 18: @@
 I pass the [http://ilovejerusalem.blogspot.com/2009/04/talitha-kumi.html Talithakumi] landmark in downtown Jerusalem almost every day, and I never knew what "Talithakumi" was supposed to mean.  Now I know, and I hope we ship it back to the [http://www.talithakumi.org/IndexE.html school] and expel them from our country, so we don't have it in the middle of downtown Jerusalem.   I wonder how many of the pedestrians there have any idea they have words from the xtian bible right over their heads?  Or that the organization whose portal that was, doesn't recognize Israel?
 Until next week,<br>

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 Unfortunately, Sarah was sick at the beginning of the week, and missed school because of it.  Then she got better -- but yesterday developed a fever.  So today we went to the doctor and found out she has strep-throat!  Not a great way to start off shabbat, but at least she's got antibiotics now and should be better, God willing, by Monday or so.
-My weekly study-partner is also an occasional blog-writer.  His [http://alittlebiteast.blogspot.com/2009/05/primordial-blob-meets-bochrim.html last installment] was particularly interesting to me, and I concur with much of what he says.  But I would like to elaborate a bit on the Ptolemy vs. Copernicus issue.  It is not precisely true that Copernicus was right (that the Earth orbits the Sun) and Ptolemy was wrong (that the Sun orbits the Earth).  Neither is really correct, as they orbit the combined center-of-gravity of the solar system (and the solar system itself orbits the center-of-gravity of the Milky Way galaxy, and so on ...).  But from a practical standpoint (as Einstein's theory of relativity makes clear), it makes no difference whether one chooses the Sun as the stationary frame of reference, or chooses the Earth as instead.  For day-to-day needs, it is just as useful to follow Ptolemy as Copernicus.
+One of my weekly study-partners is also an occasional blog-writer.  His [http://alittlebiteast.blogspot.com/2009/05/primordial-blob-meets-bochrim.html last installment] was particularly interesting to me, and I concur with much of what he says.  But I would like to elaborate a bit on the {{wiki|Ptolemy}} vs. {{wiki|Copernicus}} issue.  It is not precisely true that Copernicus was right (that the Earth orbits the Sun) and Ptolemy was wrong (that the Sun orbits the Earth).  Neither is really correct, as they orbit the combined center-of-gravity of the solar system (and the solar system itself orbits the center-of-gravity of the Milky Way galaxy, and so on ...).  But from a practical standpoint (as Einstein's theory of relativity makes clear), it makes no difference whether one chooses the Sun as the stationary frame of reference, or chooses the Earth as instead.  For day-to-day needs, it is just as useful to follow Ptolemy as Copernicus.
 More Israeli goodness... Sarah says, "confidence is good" -- but there is indeed such a thing as [http://howtobeisraeli.blogspot.com/2009/05/you-are-never-too-old-to-wear-spandex.html too much confidence].   The Israeli equivalent of "The Amazing Race" (called here "The Race for a Million") has Israelis traveling the world and performing feats just like the American version.  Encouragingly, one of the (non-religious) media stars here [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/131039 refused to show a clip from it] because it shows Israelis eating things forbidden by ''halacha''.

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 {{blog}}
-{{bheader|Mar 1st|Devar/5769/Acharei-mot-Kedoshim}}
+{{bheader|May 1st|Devar/5769/Emor}}
 Hi again!
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 Help [[tsedaka|feed the hungry]] in Israel!
-Update on the ant obliteration campaign: situation under control for now!  Last week I told you I put out some home-made poison syrup for the ants.  Now I can tell you that the first day there were some ants on the bait, the second day there were a lot, and the third day there were hardly any.  I then switched the bait for fresh stuff, and no ants came -- and in fact there were only one or two ants to be seen in the kitchen.  So while they were coming in to take the bait, I spied a hole in the wall from which they were coming. Once they ceased coming in, I plastered the hole -- and so far, B"H, we have been ant-free this week.
+* We came from the land of latex gloves and Purel, to the land where random people off the street put their hands in the salads.  From a land where people Lysol their toilets, to a land where the street is the toilet.
 Until next week,<br>
 Shabbat shalom!
-{{nav|Blog|Blog|Blog/April 2009/Apr 24th|Apr 24th||}}
+{{nav|Blog|Blog|Blog/May 2009/May 1st|May 1st||}}