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{{bheader|May 30th|Devar/5768/Bamidbar}}
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{{bheader|June 6th|Devar/5768/Naso}}
  
 
Hi again!
 
Hi again!
  
It's been a busy week, and a week of changes.
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What a week!  We enjoyed having our friend Ilana staying with us on shabbat. As we told her, she's welcome back any time.  After shabbat we all went to the {{wiki|Hebrew Book Week}} fair, in Jerusalem's old train station.  This was Daniela's brainchild, actually; I didn't know it was going on.  Esther got some cookbooks, Daniela got some books she was looking for, and I did as well.  It was actually a lot of fun, though I didn't think the prices were anything special.
  
I finally got "reinstated" with the [http://www.btl.gov.il/NR/exeres/2130471C-E92B-4194-AC9E-FF8FDDB955BD.htm National Insurance Institute], so I was able to join the same 'health fund' that the rest of my family is in, and stop the 'supplementary private insurance' which was a constant drain on my pocketbook.  But when I registered at the health fund, the clerk informed me that ''I'' was fine, and ''Sarah'' was fine, but ''Esther'' was not covered -- the NII had removed her eligibility! So she went to the NII's office here in Maale Adummim, and got it straightened out -- it was a mistake (of course!) but no one had bothered to inform her she wasn't coveredNow she's covered again, presumably -- we have to check on Sunday againI must point out that the person here with whom Esther dealt at NII, was fantastic -- she didn't give up until she was able to get a concrete answer (and she had to call all sorts of places to clarify the situation).
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Then in the morning we got the keys to the (new) house!  We immediately gave a copy to the ''kablan'' (contractor) who is doing the major work, and then we spent an hour and a half with the former owner, calling the various utilities and making sure we had everything properly transfered to our name.  Now we truly own a house in Israel!  Unfortunately, it is now unlivable due to the work being done... but the ''kablan'' is determined to get us in at the end of June as he has promised.  [[Media:Kitchen-before.jpg|This is the kitchen]] before the contractor started. Now look at the [[Media:Kitchen-day2.jpg|same room]] after the second day -- no more cabinets or floorOn the [[Media:Kitchen-day4.jpg|fourth day]] the electrical and plumbing work has mostly been completedNext week is the holiday of {{wiki|Shavuot}}, so we'll lose a day and a half or two days of work time; but by the end of the week, the floors should be in place downstairs.
  
We also got the car back from repairsIt looks better than when I first got it, so I better take good care of itThe leasing company actually brought the car out to my home, from Jerusalem -- ''that's'' service!
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Later on Sunday, the [http://www.gov.state.md.us/ Governor of Maryland] came to our company - he was leading a group of investors, and they infused some cash into our company.  I shook his hand, welcoming him to Israel -- and he told me to call him "Martin".  So now I'm on a first-name basis with the Gov. of Maryland... but more importantly, he had the merit to meet me! I was fascinated to read in the paper that my boss announced [http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2008/06/02/daily5.html we were moving our headquarters to Maryland].  I was at that meeting, and he said no such thing.  [http://wjz.com/seenon/martin.omalley.israel.2.737908.html This paper] has a more factually correct story.
  
You remember the story of Cain and Abel, right?  Cain kills his brother and has a 'mark' to distinguish him forever?  When I first made aliyah in the early '80s, I went to the city of {{wiki|Akko}} to get listed with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Interior_%28Israel%29 Ministry of the Interior].  The clerk who dealt with me was an Arab who didn't know much English; so he translated my middle name from "Kevin" to "Cain"At the time I didn't notice, and forever after my name has been "Ron Cain" according to the Israeli gov'tThis time around, I specifically asked them to change my official name to just "Ron", which they did -- but the old name still appears on my {{wiki2|Teudat zehut|ID card}} (just not as the primary name)But worse, is that when we opened our checking account at the bank, they had us listed with the 'old' names -- so "Ron Cain" is on all of our checks. <grrr>
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Our dear daughter Sarah, who has been uprooted from her native country and put into a school where the teaching is in Hebrew; and who up until now didn't learn very much math, scored a perfect 100 on her math ''bagrut'' preparatory testsNot only was she dreading the tests per se, but she was convinced she was going to do ''really'' poorlySo we are understandably proud and pleased that she was able to prove her opinion of herself wrongWe hope and pray she will continue to do so.
  
Also, this week, we made the final payment to the owner of the house we're buying, so this Sunday we get possession (B"H!)That very day, the contractors will start demolishing, and hopefully the work will be (at least mostly) done before the last week of June, when we are scheduled to move in.  They ''said'' they can do it -- now we'll seeTiming is everything; and our timing stinks.  We had to transfer funds from the US, but [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126298 the shekel strengthened even more] against the dollar so our purchasing power has considerably diminished.
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Daniela is winding down the year at {{wiki|Midreshet Lindenbaum}}, and is packing up her stuffShe came with exactly three suitcases, but somehow they multiplied and she has six -- each one heavier than the othersI wonder how she plans on getting them to Stern in the fall?
  
Really, I shouldn't complainWe don't have it nearly as hard as the poor folks aboard the space stationTheir problem's a [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/05/27/space.toilet.ap/index.html real pisser]! They can't just go behind a tree, like some do in the Holy Land...
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Speaking of international travel, my company is sending me to {{wiki|India}} sometime in JulyI'll be helping to bring on new staff for our company, as well as train them, and meet with our clients thereSo this week I'm going to try to get my vaccinations so they take effect before I goI hope I don't have to wear a suit - the only one I have is wool (and I haven't worn it since we moved here).
  
It's rare these days in Israel to find a public figure who can think rationally.  The main group in power consists of [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1211434111426&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull utopian peace junkies] who, despite all evidence to the contrary, cannot see we have no partners for peace. Even foreigners, companies such as [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePBvl_Q2oEA VW] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiNA0cpCq4U Honda] see the truth for what it isBut maybe, just maybe, [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212041432454&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull our enemies are changing?]Let's hope so, for their sakes as well as ours.
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''Seen in Maale Adummim:'' an elderly man, religious; wearing a T-shirt which said, "There's more to life than news, sports and porn".  I am virtually certain that if he had a clue what the shirt said, he wouldn't have worn it. There's a lesson in that, people: please (!) if you don't understand what it says, don't wear it!  This one was extremely mild; some of the ones I've seen were literally pornographicI wonder at the parents who let their young daughters wear clothing which proclaims their readiness to engage in carnal relations!  Seriously, it's disturbingJust as bad as the people who get tattoos in cool-looking Chinese characters only to find out the symbols mean "monkey's ass" or something.
  
This shabbat we're honored to have a friend of ours from Seattle stay with us. She always makes us laugh, hopefully we'll make her laugh too. Best regards to her parents, Stephanie and Stan from us!
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Well, I've got to do some packing and get ready for Shabbat, so...
  
Sarah's perspective, unedited [[Blog/May 2008/May 30th/Sarah|is here]].  Commentary there may or may not reflect the opinions of the owner of this site ...
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Shabbat shalom, and Chag Sameach!!
  
Shabbat shalom!
 
  
 
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Latest revision as of 16:46, 13 June 2008

June 6th (See this week's devar torah)
Send Ron feedback on this blog

Hi again!

What a week! We enjoyed having our friend Ilana staying with us on shabbat. As we told her, she's welcome back any time. After shabbat we all went to the Hebrew Book Week fair, in Jerusalem's old train station. This was Daniela's brainchild, actually; I didn't know it was going on. Esther got some cookbooks, Daniela got some books she was looking for, and I did as well. It was actually a lot of fun, though I didn't think the prices were anything special.

Then in the morning we got the keys to the (new) house! We immediately gave a copy to the kablan (contractor) who is doing the major work, and then we spent an hour and a half with the former owner, calling the various utilities and making sure we had everything properly transfered to our name. Now we truly own a house in Israel! Unfortunately, it is now unlivable due to the work being done... but the kablan is determined to get us in at the end of June as he has promised. This is the kitchen before the contractor started. Now look at the same room after the second day -- no more cabinets or floor. On the fourth day the electrical and plumbing work has mostly been completed. Next week is the holiday of Shavuot, so we'll lose a day and a half or two days of work time; but by the end of the week, the floors should be in place downstairs.

Later on Sunday, the Governor of Maryland came to our company - he was leading a group of investors, and they infused some cash into our company. I shook his hand, welcoming him to Israel -- and he told me to call him "Martin". So now I'm on a first-name basis with the Gov. of Maryland... but more importantly, he had the merit to meet me! I was fascinated to read in the paper that my boss announced we were moving our headquarters to Maryland. I was at that meeting, and he said no such thing. This paper has a more factually correct story.

Our dear daughter Sarah, who has been uprooted from her native country and put into a school where the teaching is in Hebrew; and who up until now didn't learn very much math, scored a perfect 100 on her math bagrut preparatory tests. Not only was she dreading the tests per se, but she was convinced she was going to do really poorly. So we are understandably proud and pleased that she was able to prove her opinion of herself wrong. We hope and pray she will continue to do so.

Daniela is winding down the year at Midreshet Lindenbaum, and is packing up her stuff. She came with exactly three suitcases, but somehow they multiplied and she has six -- each one heavier than the others. I wonder how she plans on getting them to Stern in the fall?

Speaking of international travel, my company is sending me to India sometime in July. I'll be helping to bring on new staff for our company, as well as train them, and meet with our clients there. So this week I'm going to try to get my vaccinations so they take effect before I go. I hope I don't have to wear a suit - the only one I have is wool (and I haven't worn it since we moved here).

Seen in Maale Adummim: an elderly man, religious; wearing a T-shirt which said, "There's more to life than news, sports and porn". I am virtually certain that if he had a clue what the shirt said, he wouldn't have worn it. There's a lesson in that, people: please (!) if you don't understand what it says, don't wear it! This one was extremely mild; some of the ones I've seen were literally pornographic. I wonder at the parents who let their young daughters wear clothing which proclaims their readiness to engage in carnal relations! Seriously, it's disturbing. Just as bad as the people who get tattoos in cool-looking Chinese characters only to find out the symbols mean "monkey's ass" or something.

Well, I've got to do some packing and get ready for Shabbat, so...

Shabbat shalom, and Chag Sameach!!




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