Why am I refusing to consider a candidate just because he has a character disorder? Some of the major leaders in recent years.... and who knows about the old ones before Warren Harding...Still, in a non-self-destructive world, we'd be picking Ami Ayalon hands down, right? i guess we get the leaders we deserve.
January 10, 2007
Six months since the last war. How long to the next one? Here Hizballah is arming to the teeth and we're admiring the wall of china.
And with all this, Tel Aviv remains the most amazing city in my experience. "Where do you want to do your ultrasound?" the Ramat Hasharon doctor asks me, "Raanana (which is pretty near by) or Tel Aviv (far)." "Tel Aviv," I answer immediately. "The clinic is near Shenkin."
January 11, 2007
It seems so obvious - Tel Aviv is a fantastic city. Yes, it's a bit of an old age home, and that's part of the fun. The mix of ages, religious and sexual preferences, and economic and social levels is everywhere apparent, and it always does me good to be there. A week without the streets of Tel Aviv is much too much.
The murders up north have disturbed everyone. One in a school and one on the road. No matter who the murderers are, one thing is clear - the north of Israel has been totally disrupted by the thousands of rockets raining down this summer. We have a tendency to ignore our traumas, and noone has been saying much about this, but it seems clear that the past danger and the future threat must of necessity upset all limits and values.
Then again the last time i spent a week up north i was freaked out at the total obliviousness to the potential threats. i didn't feel it in Maghrar, but in the 'spiritual' Jewish villages. Of course I may have been totally wrong in my feelings.
January 12, 2007
I KNOW I'm not an expert. I know my feelings may not be correct, but I must have written in these pages about two years ago that i was uncomfortable with the spiritualistic optimism of the people. And I may also have added that I was the only one. But it seemed too much like the sixties - too many heads in the sand.
A few people from abroad wrote me asking how the country will function with the political and financial scandals in this country. My answer is simple. If it functioned so well with all the corruption, imagine how well it will work now that we're cleaning up.
January 12, 2007
so here's my plan for revising the police force. First of all to reorganize 20% of the national force to small precincts. Second to train as many unemployed people for graduated hours as office managers in these local organizations, and to keep an eye on the precinct. The idea is to get local forces to be in charge of everything that needs to be done in a small area. I know it's an old fashioned and for many an outdated, but I think that we aren't a little village any more and could use some personal attention.
On another subject, the crembo, our winter snack, is back. It's a sign of cold weather - meringue on a biscuit with a chocolate coating. I don't have any idea how many calories there are but it is a great comfort on these cold days, when ice cream just adds to my chills.
