Blog/May 2015/May 1st
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< Blog | May 2015
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It was a busy and constructive week for us. The weather turned hotter than usual mid-week, then cooled down again; we’re looking for continued pleasant temperatures for next week. The construction crew next-door is getting close to finishing, B”H!
As the construction next-door progresses, the major noise has mostly gone away. The main source of noise at the moment is the Arabs screaming at each other, which seems to be their primary mode of communication. At least we can look forward to them being gone soon, supposedly.
We’ve got several “irons in the fire” at the moment, in terms of projects and so-forth; we’ll let you know when any one of those irons reaches branding temperature. Of course, we’re still waiting for a response from Apple…
This week, Microsoft announced that they have a way to run Android and iOS applications on their Windows Phone 10 devices. They are trying (probably in vain) to capture more of the mobile market, by luring people in with the “ease of porting” to Windows Phone 10. What they don’t mention is that such technology as they’re displaying will of necessity be very slow, and will likewise not be able to do everything the native applications do on their own devices. Once again, Microsoft kicks the can down the road.
And also this week, the “World Happiness Report” revealed yet again that Israel is a happy place. Israel ranked 11th, ahead of the United States (at 15) and the United Kingdom (at 21), which one may find surprising to say the least. Not surprising: the “Palestinian Authority” ranked at 108th place, just ahead of Iran at 110. So why are we Israelis so darned happy with our lot? On the face of it, we should be bitter and depressed: the world by and large hates us, we’re surrounded by enemies who start wars with us every couple of years, our cost of living is very high, and we change governments almost as often as we change underwear. Well, some of us.
Maybe it’s the weather? After all, we usually have sunny and pleasant weather, “Mediterranean climate”. But Italy ranks at 50, Spain at 36 and the Greeks a miserable 125! So maybe it’s not that. The food? Well, we’ve got great food, but so do the aforementioned Med peoples.
Perhaps we’re just insane? I suppose a case could be made for that, though from what I was able to discern, the US has the highest rate of diagnosed mental illness, followed by Europe. Hmm.
Maybe it’s because of our good healthcare system? Well, we do have a somewhat longer expected lifespan than USAns or most Europeans — and vastly longer than our immediate neighbors in the Middle East. But if you have to live longer with more troubles, wouldn’t you naturally be less happy about it?
I’ll posit a theory which you’re free to dispute at will. My theory is that Israelis, whether religious or not, whether wealthy or not, feel as if they are part of a bigger family, and part of a national project. They have a purpose, and a support system. I don’t mean a “social security system”, though there is also one of those. I mean that Israelis by and large know they can rely on other Israelis for help and support. We see it all the time; we just saw it with the reaction of Israel to the Nepal disaster. We’re on the same “team”, so to speak; and the more pressure is applied, the closer to each other we become despite our differences. Because at the end of the day, we are all one man’s sons; even those who chose to join the family.
We’re looking forward to a calm, quiet, and relaxing shabbat. The weather is cooperative, the food is getting prepared, and we’ve got preparations to do. So “so long” for now!
This week, Dinah is back with us; we’ll try to feed the lot of us:
homemade ḥalla,
spicy brisket (not for the veggie-hearted),
spicy eggplant,
roasted ’taters,
stuffed veggies,
rice,
salatim,
and coconut sorbet.
Until next time,
shabbat shalom!
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