Reap as you Sow

I finally heard some good news on the radio today. there were two pieces. The first was that the Times did not think that its layoffs that they have to make are going to be as severe as they thought (OK, so the news was not ALL good), and the second was that Time was going to have to have layoffs as well.

Now I feel bad for the fact that people are going to lose their jobs, but as far as the corporations that are in question here, it couldn't happen to more deserving companies, whose very own policies and positions helped to put them in the condition they find themselves.

Now if only there had been a mention about the struggles of Newsweek my day would have been made.

Out of the Mouth of ( no longer ) Babes

My kids are both too perceptive and slightly brutal, but they do tend to put things in perspective.

I used to keep utensils in the car for times that I would eat a snack pak or oatmeal. I recently switched cars, as my lease was up on my old one. I decided to downgrade a bit and go smaller, so I could save a little on the gas.

As I was looking over the car and features I noticed that there was no longer a little eyeglasses holder in the headliner between the sun visors. as I was bemoaning the general lack of storage space in the new car, i mentioned to Bug that there was no glasses holder. His response?

Oh no, where will you keep your spoons?!!?

Dream? I Think Not

I heard the speech of Martin Luther Ling Jr. on Imus this week. He plays the speech in its entirety every year, and has done so for many years. (The hypocrisy of the people that attacked him is unbelievable, but that is for a different post).

I try to catch the speech every year. It is truly an amazing speech. I was especially struck how Dr. King could not have known nor probably even imagined that 49 years later this country would be inaugurating a black man for a second term.

I am also always struck by the message of the speech. That he is displeased with the status of race, but optimistic that it can improve, and improve through peaceful means.

Obviously, his trust has been borne out. However, I find it sad that the couple who has been a major beneficiary of his vision and the advantages of this country are the least deserving, most ungrateful, and most bent on destroying all that has made this country great.

The dream has turned into a national nightmare.

Why do they Yell?

I have always tried to figure out why Israelis get so upset when trying to communicate with Americans who don't speak a very good Hebrew. over the years I have developed a few theories which I would like to share with you now, as illustrated by the following story.

I was on the bus to Kever Rochel (Tomb of Rachel). As we were approaching, there was some announcement over the loudspeaker, but I was on the phone and not paying attention ( which I really need to do if I am to translate and understand an announcement). The way this particular bus line works is that the bus arrives around a quarter to the hour, and leaves the following half hour.  I, of course, did not know this. So as I got off, I asked the driver when he was leaving.

This immediately created a firestorm of hand waving, teeth gnashing, yelling, and general all around foul moodiness on the part of the driver. (The good thing about the Israelis is that when agitated, which is most of the time, they speak expressively with their hands, so I KNEW that he was annoyed that I had not followed the announcement, since he was gesticulating at the mic quite vehemently.)  So i told him, in English, of course, ": I know you made the announcement, but I didn't hear it, so when are you leaving?"

He begrudging, in Hebrew informed me that he was leaving at 11:30. I, of course, still being half asleep from the flight over, did not compute this fast enough or correctly, and asked him if that was 11:15.

I cannot begin to describe the ensuing eye rolling, general shouting and overall annoyance of this gentleman, who could have saved a lot of time and grief if he would have just said the time in English ( which I truly believe every can or should speak, just like on Mutiny on the Bounty).  Completely exasperated, he TYPED the time into the little change computer on the bus, and made me read it.

I politely thanked him, and made sure to be on the bus at 11:28, so as not to cause any more problems.

And got off two stops too early so as not to have to engage him again on the return trip.


So why do they yell?

Either

1)  because they like to, and it is the preferred form of communication in the Middle East ( this theory has some merit shared by others as well)

2) they are frustrated that Americans can't speak their language and feel that everyone should.

3) they are frustrated that they do not speak English and have to try to communicate with foreigners, which is not necessarily in their job description as bus driver.  Therefore they feel inadequate, which causes them to default to yelling ( see number (1) above) .

4) They are just grumpy people who don't feel like being helpful ( a trait shared by bus drivers here as well, at least for the Jewish bus companies, so it might be part of an international union thing)., and that is why they are bus drivers.

instead of working for the DMV.



.

ICE capades

So I arrived this morning on the 6 am flight from Jerusalem. Flight landed right on time. I figured "great, I can be at mt desk in four hours". Right?

Well that was before I came up against the governments first line of defense to harass the heck out of its citizens, I mean protect this country from marauding Americans, Immigration.

The lazy geniuses that run this department not only don't bother to be open when flights start to arrive, but then they don't even bother to properly staff the hall to reduce the line to under 2 hours.

I am still on line. It's 8 am.

I can solve illegal immigration in this country. Make them go through immigration once we catch them. They will go home on their own.