Blog/June 2013/Jun 7th

Jun 7th (See this week's devar torah)

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Hi, again!

So many fruitful topics to choose from this week! I'll start with the mundane: our weather was pleasant, though hot at times -- the usual sort of weather for the Holy Land at this time of year. Lots of work and school-work being done. Clean sweeps and doctor visits. And of course, the ongoing series of Hope and Change™ scandals.

Sarah was extremely busy this week with school projects -- doing her own as well as helping on others. She even has a project due in a couple months, so her "summer vacation" will not be so much a vacation, it seems. One of her classmates (presumably a distant cousin on Esther's side) will join us for shabbat.

Daniela was also extremely busy doing sort of report-cards for her students. Jeremy took his CFA exams (after months of grueling preparation), but he won't know the results for six weeks or so. We're sure he did fine.

Sometimes people ask me if I miss the USA. The answer is, "no, not especially". But, OK... there are certain things I really miss. However, I can and do keep up with family and friends; everything else is just material things which are almost all available here in the Land. Despite my best efforts, I seem to be unable to convince my remaining friends and family in the USA to abandon it for a truly free Land.

What I definitely do not miss is the creeping fascism afflicting the former Land of the Free. This week and last saw revelations of incredibly massive data-collection on the part of US agencies (IRS, NSA and others). To be fair to Obama, he did not start these programs. But since his reign began, they have expanded to the point where any data you put "out there" -- on Facebook, Google/GMail, Skype, including your phone records if you use any of the big US phone carriers -- is all available to Big Brother. And he is watching you. The scope is completely mind-blowing. While the Obama administration claims that only foreigners are targeted, I for one find that absolutely impossible to believe. After all, even the stalwart supporters of The One, the New York Times, say that Obama has lost all credibility. Of course, I never thought he had any credibility, and I have been proven correct. Again.

But these revelations should come as a wake-up call to y'all. I've been accused of being "paranoid" about data security (it's a fair cop...). But even in my wildest flights of paranoia I never thought the government's data collection was as pervasive and as complete as it actually has proven to be. Please, take my advice: do not trust Google, Microsoft, Apple, Verizon... etc etc ... to keep your data private; they will not do so. And this is in the United States, yet -- we're not talking about China! Although the US is quickly on its way to becoming a Peoples Republic...

Privacy in the digital realm has become extraordinarily difficult, but not impossible. It is imperative we stand up for our rights while it is still possible to do so. You can start by switching your email from GMail to a smaller email provider which doesn't keep your email forever. Here are some tips on how you can avoid General Petraeus' Pitfall.

In other news, since my knee has been continuing its painful trend, I asked the Dr. for better pain medication, which he reluctantly gave me. I'm glad to report that the other meds (which Sarah recommended to me) are much more effective for me. So you know: "Betaren" is the new stuff, vs. "Arcoxia" -- which never helped me at all. Turns out Betaren is also much cheaper. The Dr. didn't want to give it to me because "it has lots of side effects". But the main side effect, near elimination of my pain, is the one I most care about. So far, it's not had any other side effects, so I'm pretty pleased with it. Hopefully the swelling in the knee will abate along with the pain, so when I see the joint-doctor week after next, he'll be able to give me more useful treatment. A year is quite long enough to suffer, thank you very much.

Esther decided that since I was so lazy that I didn't even clean the car for pesaḥ this year, she was going to do it now. So she did. Wonderful woman, she is! That and all the other arranging and cleaning and cooking and so forth and so on... took up her time. She's exhausted, and looking forward to shabbat, as am I!

This shabbat one of Sarah's classmates will be staying with us, as will a friend of ours from the Olde Country and her husband (who both live in Tel Aviv). For their delight we are preparing:
orange soup, salatim including homemade ḥummus, lamb roast, baked chicken, oven fries, stuffed artichokes, chard pashtida, baked salmon, parve cholent, chicken wings, fruit cobbler and date-nut cake

Until next week,
shabbat shalom!

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