Blog/September 2009/Sep 25th

Sep 25th (See this week's devar torah)
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Hi again!

First off: Esther wants to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and help during her recent incarceration hospitalization and recovery. B"H, she is slowly getting back to her normal activity level.

Her hospital stay was four nights. In the US it would have been one night or maybe two. Here they don't kick you out of the hospital to save money. Anyway, the registration process was interesting: we were told to go to the department where the procedure was to be done, and register. So we went. But there they told us we had to first register at admissions. So we went there. Once there, we took a number and waited ... and were then told we needed a slip from the blood bank. Of course, it doesn't say that anywhere -- not online, not on the other forms you get. So we went there. Returned to admissions, got admitted and went back to the department. There she was sent to have blood tests done, and they wanted to do an ultrasound, but her doctor said she didn't need to do that. Then she had to be examined by the department doctor. Finally, as we were getting ready to return home (since this was just the registration the day before the procedure), the nurse stops her and says she won't let her go until she gets the blood workup results. Five minutes later, she tells her that her hemoglobin is way too low, and they need to keep her overnight and give her an transfusion before they can do the operation. So what should have been a two-hour process ended up taking an entire day (and night!).

Apart from the administrative run-around, which is obviously something one would like to avoid -- the care was exceptional. The pre-admission medical checks (and endless questions) are designed to prevent mistakes on the part of the hospital. For those of you who are concerned about the plight of the poor Arabs -- let me ease your conscience. At least a third of the patients were Arabs (and a significant number of the medical staff as well).

The work week was short (Sunday was still yom-tov) but exhausting. Mostly because we have a pile of work to do for customers, but lots of days off in the next few weeks. We don't work this coming Sunday (erev yom hakippurim) or Monday (yom hakippurim). We don't work the following week (Hol hamo`ed sukkot). So whatever we can't get done in the next three work days (Tue, Wed, Thu) this week is going to have to wait until after sukkot is over -- and that puts a lot of pressure on us right now. But you know what? I don't mind! The prospect of an entire week of enforced vacation really sounds good to me right now.

Last week I mentioned Fond Jane and her cohorts. Well, this week the Zbig mouth speaks. You know him, don't you? He was Dhimmy "peanut-brain" Carter's national security advisor. And he is greatly respected by his holiness Obama. Isn't it ironic how history unfolds? I mean, the anti-semitic Carter -- who presided over the birth of the Mullahcracy of Iran -- is an ardent support of the arguably anti-semitic Obama, who is encouraging the thugs of Iran in their quest to acquire nuclear weapons so they can finally make good on their genocidal threats against Israel! And now Zbig-mouth says the US should shoot down Israeli planes if they fly over Iraq. What a guy! I fervently wish him an excruciatingly painful death.

Prince Obama made a speech to the UN, which contained nothing too surprising. Equation of good and evil, moral relativism -- all the things you expect from a "modern" man. But for those of us living on the "wrong" side of the pre-1967 borders there were a few choice words -- he is looking for "a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967". Wow, even Fatah couldn't have written better copy! Obama might like to look up the legal definition of occupation... since Israel and Jordan have signed a peace-treaty, no stretch of the imagination can render those territories taken (back) from Jordan "occupied" in the sense his holiness implies. But the most shocking statement in his speech, in my opinion, was his equation of the "Israeli girl in Sderot who closes her eyes in fear that a rocket will take her life in the night" and the "Palestinian boy in Gaza who has no clean water and no country to call his own". You really think these are equivalent? What a schmuck.

Our very own Netanyahu then made a powerful speech to the UN in which he actually asked the (rhetorical, I think) question, "Have you no shame? Have you no decency?". Asking the UN that is like asking the Pope, "are you Catholic?". Seriously. However, I wonder with whom Netanyahu is planning to make peace? With Nasrallah, who said this week he will never recognize Israel? Or maybe with Haniyeh, who said this week he won't respect any deal?

Anyway, it's before shabbat shuvah. I want to take the opportunity to apologize to anyone I've offended (with the exceptions of Obama, Carter and Zbiggy) this past year. I hope our thrice-daily repeated prayers for peace come true soon; but as long as they don't, I pray our leaders have the huevos to "keep the powder dry". We live in interesting times ...

Ah, one more thing: Israel goes on "winter time" this Saturday night, so remember to reset your clocks (if you're in Israel), or to make an adjustment (if you're not).

Until next week,
Shabbat shalom and gemar Hatimah tovah!

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