My life under the iron rain

30 December 2006

Snoring in the face of danger

My Father (left) and some old dude checking a fallen kassam rocket,Mefalsim,31.8.06.


People in this region,myself included,got accustomed to hear the kassam alarms almost on a daily basis,people even make jokes about it,for example,when we hear the explosion sound that follows the alarm people say it's Ahlama Peretz (the slightly obese wife of Amir Peretz) jumping into a pool...
There are people here that are terrified when the alarm rings,and it's the most natural reaction i can think of,but more and more people are getting apathic about this almost to the point of being nonchalant,people died already from the rockets,but we keep something of a "stiff upper lip" in the face of danger,people living in the north maybe can relate to that behaviour but people living in Central Israel (the vast majority) just can't understand it,one friend of mine from Tel-Aviv visited me and when we were leaving the grocery store the alarm started and she was very surprised that people kept behaving like nothing happened,like they sensed no threat,and I slowly walked with her under the outer roof of the store,just in case;my girlfriend (who also lives in Central Israel) stayed over to sleep in my house,the alarm ranged in the morning and it woke us up,and she couldn't believe that my first reaction was to sleep again immediately.
This reality of our lives being threatened daily is turning us indifferent about it,it's not very natural,but it's something close to a survival strategy,we have 2 choices,to act like this and wait for the best or to live in fear and panic and satisfy the terrorists.

Today's Song: Jeopardy - The Sound
Today's Quote: If you think there is good in everybody,you haven't met everybody.

Postcards from Mefalsim

Photography is a favorite hobby of mine,ever since as a little boy I received from my uncle his old camera,i know that i'm not quite skilled at it but I enjoy it very much,so once in a while i'll publish here some of the pictures i took,and all of them were captured here in Mefalsim :)




28 December 2006

Another color in the rainbow

In an unprecedented event in Israel, seven secular Jews who view Judaism as a culture, as opposed to a religion, will be ordained as rabbis Friday in Jerusalem.The ceremony, which will be held at the Israel Museum, comes after the ordainees completed three years of study at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism in Jerusalem. Twenty five additional students are currently studying at the program.The organization, which promotes "secular humanistic Judaism," is closest to the Reconstructionist Judaism movement in the United States, said Oren Yehi-Shalom, 35, who will be ordained at the ceremony. Yehi-Shalom said that the participants do not pray to God, but believe in man's humanity.The group's Web site lists the belief in God "as a literary character," citing the Dutch philosopher Spinoza, who is recognized as the founder of modern Biblical criticism.

Secular rabbis to be ordained in J'lem | Jerusalem Post

It's always interesting to get to know other currents in the jewish spectrum,other ways to express jewishness according to one's beliefes,but ironically Israel,the state of the jews,doesn't recognize nor tolerates this diversity,one can only look at that fact with disbelief...

Today's Song: Blood Meridian - Hope of the states

Today's Quote: The only reason that I talk to myself is because that I'm the only one whose answers I accept.

21 December 2006

We made it! (and we're lucky to have survived to know it)

It's funny,i always complained as a kid about the lack of media coverage about our region,and now,with the cordial help from our neighbors from the other side of the fence we're almost "media darlings",pity that the only thing the interests the media is our struggle and nothing much more than that:

Hanukkah celebrations in Negev kibbutzim and communities surrounding the Gaza Strip took place as scheduled in protected buildings, with most kibbutz members said routine was important for the children. “There is a feeling that as long as the rockets land outside the community, then everything is okay and we can go on with our lives,” Shaar Hanegev Regional Council Head Alon Shuster said. “We will continue our struggle to protect kibbutz members’ homes.”

No Hanukkah celebrations in Sderot - News from Israel, Ynetnews


...and happy hanukkah to you all...


Today's Song: Frightened - The Fall

Today's Quote: You tried, and you failed, so the lesson is, never try. - Homer J. Simpson

20 December 2006

Blame it on Israel!

After another daily checkup of my favorite blogs i stumbled upon a cute little song written,composed and sung by Patrick Henry,it's called "It's all because of Israel":


Iraq is in a mess that some are calling civil war
And IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF ISRAEL
One might've thought the Sunni-Shi'a conflict counted more
But IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF ISRAEL
No doubt the world was moving toward a peaceful golden future
Until Zionism brought it to a halt
Now at last we know the name
Of the country we should blame
Everything is Israel's fault
(That's what Iran says)
Everything is Israel's fault
(So why take chances?)
Everything is Israel's fault

And here is the mp3.

Be sure to visit his website and listen to his song,especially to "Stand with Israel" where our neighbors from Sderot are mentioned,enjoy.

Today's Song: Bullet with butterfly wings - The Smashing Pumpkins

Today's Quote: When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

19 December 2006

2 Different posts for the price of 1!

1st of all i want to be extremely original and accept Time Magazine's "Man of the Year Award" (along with millions and millions more :),I've made a little acceptance speech for the occasion:
I always knew since those lonely and long afternoons after-school back in 1995,while me and others were sitting and staring at the screen like zombies and waiting up to 5 min. for a website to fully load on Navigator ver.2,that something good will eventually come of this,i want to thank my computer teachers,Shem,for introducing me to this wonder,and Eli Bir,for letting me and others hang around in the technology room of the school and allowed me to keep discovering the hidden wonders of the Internet for hours as an unofficial after-school activity,I want to thank my parents for connecting our home computer to the internet and satisfying my growing internet addiction even further :) (applauds)

And now for something completely different.
A couple of hours ago I heard that Joseph Barbera sadly passed away,and myself being a HUGE Tom & Jerry fan,I want to make a very small homage to the man and the great couple he was part of,by posting one,IMHO,of the best Tom & Jerry episodes ever made:Pecos Pest



Today's Song: Boys don't Cry - The Cure
Today's Quote: A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

15 November 2006

An unusual event

Last Tuesday,at math class,i had the middle-course test,against all odds and expectations,i received 65 points,and actually passed a math test,why i was so surprised you might ask,well,let's just say that math was,and still is,a nightmare,just looking at all this numbers gathered with letters,in grids,tables and strange structures freaks me up,I never was very brilliant at math as long as i can remember myself,and I was diagnosed with A.D.D. and dyscalculia,so it's also scientifically proven why i hate math so much,but destiny intervened and i have to receive more than 56 points at the final test,in January 29th,just 4 days after my 25th birthday,so i can study photography (a favorite hobby of mine) next year,and maybe,just maybe make a carrer of something which i happen to like very much.
Oh,the irony...

Today's Song: Numbers - Kraftwerk
Today's Quote: Me,ambivalent? Well,yes and no.

27 October 2006

Black "Celebration"

Good morning to the nonexistent readers of this blog,I'm now resting after a nice monthly party of the Israeli Depeche Mode Fanclub ,it was fun,except for the sound,as usual,sometimes too loud,and sometimes you can hear yourself (and others) sing a beautiful song like a bunch of cats in a dark alley at night.
Anyway here is an official t-shirt from their last tour which i bought in last month's party:

Nice color,nice pic,looking good as usual...

And now let's look at the back of the shirt:

Lots of countries,Depeche are popular in more and more places...but wait,i see there's something that catches my eye...


Well,of course,our small country is listed right at the end,just i want to share with you a little fact about that concert in Israel...it never took place!!!

Me and other hundreds,if not thousands of Israeli fans were full of joy when in December of 2005 Depeche Mode announced a long anticipated first concert ever in Israel,and we rushed to buy the tickets with 10-9 months in advance.

The months passed and we eagerly waited for the 3rd of August,but then the war in Lebanon erupted (I won't discuss about it in this post) and the eagerness was replaced with lots and lots of worries,but the band assured they will come,and if they announced it,it will eventually happen,right?

Well,as you know,and lots of us still remember,the show was canceled just THREE (3!) days before it was supposed to take place,and because it was supposed to be the final gig of the tour it was impossible to reschedule it.

The months passed,and now I know that my bitterness because of it,though justified,was also exaggerated,still,i feel a little pinch in my heart when i see that little ISRAEL in the list,or when I stumble by chance upon a note about the gig written before it,I still hope someday will come and I will have the pleasure to see my favorite band in my country.

The only thing that still pisses me off is when stupid people say to me:"I'm sure you felt REAL BAD when they canceled the show".

Today's Song: The Sun and the Rainfall - Depeche Mode
Today's Quote: Out of my mind. Back in five minutes!

26 October 2006

Labor Accidents

I have a little confession to make,I'm a member of the (Israeli) Labor Party,i made it as a way to make my little influence (myself being a Center-Left Progressive) in the major party of the Israeli left wing (and because when you're a kibbutznik,such as yours truly,it's almost expected from you,he he :)

The main problem with being a member of this party is that I always have to bare the big mistakes made by our leaders over the years:

In 1999,after 3 years of Netanyahu's rule,and after much hopes and expectations,Ehud Barak,former Commander in Chief of the IDF rose to power with a formidable result for the Party
only to make one little...really little mistake...he let SHAS enter his government,the same SHAS that,along with the other Ultras' parties,and self-hating seculars (aka secular right-wingers) keeps delaying the civil marriage law proposals since it's inception,and other pro-civil rights law proposals,"it's for the good of the state" our leaders said,and although some minor protests occurred (such as my father's termination of his membership) we reluctantly accepted,and we watched,not really surprised actually,how the religious parties undermined his coalition and his term became the shortest of an elected prime minister,falling short of full two years by a couple of months.

The party leader that followed him was the slightly incompetent,gray and uncharismatic Benjamin Ben-Eliezer (aka Fuad) who failed to make the smallest impression on the government (he was the MOD) ,let alone in his own party,and the next one was Amram Mitzna,which i have respect towards him because of his ideals,but he too lacked leadership,which is essential in a party full of instigators,and we were hardly surprised when he was,to pit it in mild words,jumped over by Ariel Sharon.

And then...Amir Peretz,frankly i had hopes for him,i really wanted him to succeed,because i...ahem...dislike Ben-Eliezer,and because I believe that Shimon Peres is at his best as a minor partner to the right leader...history proves it to us but he's still ignoring the hint...
So,i voted for Peretz,well,i think i was the youngest voter in the Labor primaries as well as in the chairman elections.i hoped and truly believed that he could do a lot to improve the situation here in the western Negev,as he lives right next to us,in Sderot,and for the Negev and the Galilee,that he could make a change in the social policies.
But he accepted the Defense Portfolio...

Still,I'll keep my upper lip stiff as usual and keep waiting for someone in the Party who can get close to the ankles of Yitzhak Rabin (RIP) which is,sadly,by now,a fairly decent thing to ask for any Israeli Politician.

Today's Song: All Together Now - The Farm
Today's Quote:
I'm a nobody, nobody is perfect, therefore I'm perfect.

24 October 2006

It's Raining Again...















Just on my way back home from my girlfriend's house in Tel-Aviv,there i was sitting half-asleep in the bus during the night ride when suddenly i saw some flashes in the horizon..lightnings...but I stepped out the bus when the rain was already over...pity.

Tomorrow I'm back in college to continue my math class,after missing two lessons in a row,i should better get a stronger grip on myself if i want to succeed and learn photography next year (my dream).

Today's Song: Let's Go Out Tonight - The Blue Nile
Today's Quote: "You're only young once,you can be immature forever"

23 October 2006

A Minor Disturbance















There I was,at college,minding my own business,studying in my math class when suddenly the familiar and automatic female prerecorded voice anounced "Tzeva Adom,Tzeva Adom" (Red color) ,which is the kassam alarm,and all we had to do is just wait and listen to the explosion sound right afterwards,maybe one day i can record the sounds so you also can have the experience as well :) .

Just good-ol' routine here,downloading episodes of my favorite TV Show,CSI,and CSI: NY is turning into my favorite of the 3,although i like the other 2 very much as well.

Today's Song: Soul Fossa - Woven
Today's Quote: "As I said before, I never repeat myself"

22 October 2006

Introduction

well first of all...allow me to introduce myself,David is the name,why David you might ask? long story,all I can tell is that the statue of David,in Florence has something to do with that.


I live in a region in Israel called the Negev,well,the Western Negev would be more accurate,which is "worldwide famous" for being the area that surrounds Gaza Strip.



This is Gaza Strip,and the E Point is Kibutz Mefalsim,my Kibutz,Home.

As some people might know,our region is attacked daily by kassam rockets fired from our "neighbors",what i want to show the world is that although we are threatened on a daily basis,we're also keen on preserving our sanity,our "joie de vivre" and most of all,our attempts to live a life as normal as possible.

I know,because i do it too.

and this blog will be the account of my attempt.

 


Feed Shark