Blog/February 2009/Feb 20th

February 20th (See this week's devar torah)
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Hi again!

Help feed the hungry in Israel!

NOTE: the links in this paragraph will lead to pictures of snakes -- so if you are squeamish, don't click on them! This week we found this beauty in our back yard. It appeared to be dead, but we weren't sure if it was a venomous variety or not, so we looked here and asked our local Maale Adummim chat-group for advice. Sarah and I still haven't decided between Spalerosophis diadema or Coluber nummifer. Any of you care to take a guess? The chat group response was that we should call the city, and they would come and take away the snake (as they are apparently also interested in knowing what kinds of reptiles are slithering about). But when I called the city, they told me that if the snake was in a "private garden", e.g. not city property, they didn't care and wouldn't send anyone. Fortunately, the thing was dead and I was able to dispose of it with no fuss... but yikes! I'm going to have to be doubly careful when gardening.

Despite pesky reptiles, now is the time to come back home. If you need it, here's a recent discussion I put together of halachic reasons to do so, according to Rambam. If you prefer, you can simply consider the extreme rise of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic outrages. Or look at the example of "freedom lovers" from Toronto

My employment situation is not looking good at the moment -- I was already informed I have to give my car back next week. That implies we haven't received any fresh investments. So I'll be taking a bit of a holiday, while I try to get a business running. In ironic news: the unemployment department went on strike because there were too many applicants and they didn't have enough personnel to handle the load. As Esther said, why don't they just hire some of the applicants for assistance? Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

In local politics -- we're caught between whiners and brown-nosers. In an astonishing turn of events, Shimon Peres repents... sort of. We need an equivalent local guide to this humorous look at American politics.

In the Arab world: unsurprising corruption at the voting booth, caught by one of my actual co-workers. Hamas' lies are exposed yet again, but that won't stop the useful idiots of the West from finding excuses for them. Though not strictly part of the Arab world, Chavez is certainly a fellow traveler. Scary man, that one.

In case you thought we don't have super-heroes here: Spiderman was arrested in Rosh HaAyin last week. When secularists talk about co-existence, is this what they mean? That's not why I don't "hold by the `eruv", but it's a good additional reason...

Odd news department: the executive director of the peanut producers' board in Texas is called Shelly Nutt. Also, a new drug is being marketed to combat excessive cheerfulness (with a nod to my daughters).

This shabbat we'll have guests from one of the seminaries. We'll report how that went, B"H next week.

Until next week,
Shabbat shalom!

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