If it ain't broke, the government can fix that.

A lot of hot air has been expended by various government officials about the real estate crisis recently. Every minister has a solution for the problem of out of control prices.  And every one of these solutions has one thing in common, they all show that nobody in the government has ever worked in real estate and construction.  Hearing our esteemed finance minister speak about the government setting up a company to build and market rental properties honestly drives me to drink.  Does anyone actually believe a man that thinks middle class problems are not enough money to vacation abroad more than once every couple of years has any concept of the type of people in the rental market, and what their needs are.  Honestly our government's answer to fixing the problem of rising prices has been to repeatedly raise the minimum needed for a down payment. this shows that nobody in the government or Bank of Israel has no concept of either the middle class or any other market considerations in real estate.

The actual biggest issue in the Israeli housing market is supply.  There is a 30,000-40,000 unit shortage per year. Raising the minimum down payment won't change that, people will still need to live somewhere, all you are doing is making it harder for them to purchase a place where they can stay long term.  That doesn't change the fact thatchers till need to live somewhere.

If the government was serious about solving the housing shortage they would need to make major sweeping changes.

First of all, they would need to spend major money on transportation. Most people in this country are not willing to spend more than an hour commuting to work.  Since most of the jobs are still in the Merkaz, that means that bigger highways and hi-speed rails are of paramount importance if you want people to move out of the Tel-Aviv area and into other places.  A major highway should have more than 2 lanes in either direction.

Second, they need to make EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF LEGALLY BUILDABLE LAND available for purchase, with the caveat that construction must begin within 5 years or the land reverts to the government.  There is no reason why the land should be left locked away. If a developer thinks that on a specific piece of land he should need to wait until the Land Authority decides it wants to offer that piece, if it chooses to at all.  Let the market and private industry set the land price, not the government.  As we say in real estate, ultimately, a property's value is what someone pays for it.  

Ultimately this won't change until we require that ministers must have previous experience before they can be come minister of whatever department they will head up. If our construction and housing minister was never a real estate broker or developer, he will never have a use understanding of what it takes to get a home built and sold. If our finance minister was never an accountant or controller, he will never understand what it takes to budget or finance a development. If our industry and trade minister was never a business CEO or other senior management officer, he will not have an understanding of how to best allow the government to let businesses grow and flourish. Ok I guess we are making some progress on that one.

Basically if the government wants to help people be able to get an affordable home, and keep the market from getting out of control, they need to stop interfering so much, and just let the market take it's natural course, without subsidies or restrictions.

I know some of you will say that what happened to the American market shows that you need regulation, but remember I said remove, interference, not regulation, they are 2 vastly different things.

This is of course just one man's opinion,  it just happens to be a man with more experience in the industry than all of the government officials trying to get headlines with their sound bites and half baked plans combined, that's all.

Winds of Change

Change happens, even to people like me who try to avoid it at all costs.  I do not generally subscribe to the Barneyism that "new is always better." However, even I can admit that sometimes change can be a good thing.

I have recently left my slightly soul sucking dead end job and returned to the exciting world of real estate.  That is a big change on many fronts.  First of all, it means that instead of working nights I am home with the family at night. This is both great and terrifying. It's great to be able to see my kids in the evening, or to be around while everyone is hanging outside on the street while the kids ride bikes and bimbas up and down the street.  Just as an aside, I understand that the plural of bimba is bimbot, but I refuse to use a word that sounds like the sefardic pronunciation of an inappropriate description of a type of woman that I certainly don't want to say my son was riding.  

It is however terrifying to realize that for the first time, I am without any sort of salary, and am completely dependent on commission. Equally as terrifying, is the realization that I have no idea how anything happens in the house during these hours.  The last time I was home for bedtime on a regular basis was 5 years ago. At that time we only had 2 kids and one of them was a baby.  Bedtime with 4 actual kids scares me, and my kids can smell fear.  This is why I have asked my nearly infinitely patient wife to ease me back into the system.  If I suddenly was expected to handle bath and bedtime by myself, I have a feeling we would see some sort of situation where it would be the lost boys vs Hook. And as we all remember, Hook gets eaten by an alligator.  My wife, understanding my completely rational fear of deadly water dwelling creatures like alligators and sharks, has been kind enough not to expect full participation right away, but rather has been easing me into it.  

Change can also be exciting.  I am really enjoying my new job.  I actually look forward to going to work for the first time in years.  I enjoy rejoining normal society again, going to work in the morning, coming home before midnight, meeting my neighbors, even helping with math homework, the rest of the homework my wife is better suited for.

All in all, change can be good, maybe I'll even have some spare change in my account at the end of the month, who knows. That would also be a good change.

...but is it safe?

I wanted to wait a few days before writing this post, while I may be an insensitive jerk at times, I am not a complete ass.
Is it safe where you live?  Aren't you worried?  These are the questions that are asked to every settler, but I find that Olim are asked them more often. People make assumptions about the areas of Judea and Samaria based on third hand stories reported on CNN and their own over active imaginations.
The truth is that I find myself asking that question to my American friends as often as they ask me.  Here, we have armed guards and metal detectors at the malls, train stations, restaurants, and schools.  I carry a gun everywhere I go.  You see soldiers, both on and off duty, with rifles strapped to their backs in the streets.  Police have the right to stop and search you if you look suspicious.  Security and vigilance are visible everywhere you go.
In America, everything is open.  Mall security are not armed, and are there to prevent shoplifting and vandalism.  There are whole States that prevent me from carrying a firearm for self-defense.  Soldiers don't patrol the streets.  Schools that want metal detectors put in are subject to all sorts of criticism.  There is a generally relaxed attitude toward the security situation. 
It is an interesting dichotomy.  Here in Israel it may appear more like a police state than an open democracy, but the truth is, we are talking about perceptions rather than realities.  The fact that we have soldiers on the streets and bag searches at mall entrances allows us to breath easier and have a better appreciation for the freedoms that we have.
When we went on a picnic in Tel Aviv over the Pesach holiday the police suddenly came and evacuated the area.  It seemed that a unattended bag was seen in the area.  Very quickly, the area was sealed off, and the bomb squad showed up to check it out, and if they were not sure about it, destroy it.  Right before the bomb squad did their thing, the bag's owner came running in apologizing for forgetting his cooler bag.  The fact is that this whole situation happened because the average person here is vigilant Someone saw a bag sitting alone, and instead of ignoring it, decided that it's better to be safe than sorry, even at the cost of a minor inconvenience.   Sure, you could say that we have all those things because we need the extra security, but after recent events, can you honestly say that you don't need the same security.  It has become obvious that terrorists may call the Middle East home, but they are definitely willing to commute for work.  There is no longer such a thing as a place that is immune from attack or violent action, only protected from them. It is an unfortunate fact, that the average American needs to learn to be just as vigilant. 
I find this ironic in light of the violent crime rates.  The US far outranks Israel in both violent crime and firearm related crime rates.  Here in Israel, certainly in my hometown, I have very little concern letting my children run around the neighborhood.  MiniMe is spending his afternoons hunting down loose wood and fallen trees for his upcoming Lag Baomer bonfire.  Princess can go down the block to her friend's house unsupervised, and if she goes any farther, she just needs to call us.  Even Curly Sue and Little Red can play by themselves in the front yard.  When visiting my parents, who live in a nice quiet suburb in the US, we won't even let MiniMe play unsupervised in the back yard.  They certainly can't run ahead in the mall or stay with the shopping cart in line at the grocery store while I grab something I forgot from the refrigerator section.   Here the average gun-carrying citizen is not carrying because of fear of being mugged or raped, but I do believe that because the average person could be carrying, there is less of a chance that a criminal will attept to mug or rape someone.
I am not saying that it is all rainbows and unicorns here, but we here in Israel, and certainly in the communities of Judea and Samaria are aware of that and protect ourselves accordingly, thus allowing ourselves and children the freedom we enjoy.
We Settlers stand in solidarity with the victims of the bombing in Boston, but at the same time, I do need to ask, when will you come home?  Here instead of feeling safe and secure, you can be safe and secure.  Until then, stay safe.

Rememberance Day

Last night, at 8 pm, as I stood in the emergency room with Little Red (story for another time), the siren sounded, signaling the start of Rememberance Day for the fallen heroes that defended the Jewish Homeland. Everyone, young and old, religious and secular, stood silent for one minute, to commemorate those who no longer stand amongst us. I have had few religious experiences more touching and profound, than the minute or two a year, when we all stand together, paying our respects to all the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice, so that people they never knew or would never know could live out our lives as full Jews in the Jewish homeland.
As an oleh who was not given the chance to serve, I am deeply moved by the somberness and unity of the day. It's a day of reflection and paying respect to our brothers and sisters who were killed in the line of duty. Television and radio stations forgo their usual drivel to tell the stories of each of these heroes. As someone who grew up with Memorial Day as a day of picnics and sales, it really puts things in perspective. We have a chance to see what is important, and it gives a little more insight into another unique feature of Israeli society, the central role of family life. Here, family is in all aspects put first. The day of the birth of your child is a paid vacation day. Women are given by law 3 months paid maternity leave, with the option of taking another 3 months unpaid. A Brit is a perfectly legitimate excuse for being late to work. Employers expect that you will use all of your vacation days. For most of the country, Friday night is family time. I could go on and on, but my point is, with so many families being incomplete, with so many who have lost someone in defense of our Home, everyone understands, accepts and expects that time spent with the family is to be cherished. This is one of the beautiful things about having Independence Day immediately following Memorial Day. First we pay our respects to those that gave their lives for ours, and acknowledge the sacrifice and loss of the family left behind, then we move on to family celebrations of the fact that their sacrifice was not in vain. Life here continues, families grow, and we continue to stand tall, as Light Unto the Nations, and the fulfillment of G-D's promise to our forefathers.
So tonight, as we cross the threshold of 65 years of independence, and the continuing of the fulfillment of G-D's promise to "return His sons to their borders," I will hug my children a little tighter, knowing that I owe thanks to G-D and and all the families of this wonderful country for the opportunity to be a part of the great family of the nation of Israel. I will silently pray, as we watch the flag rise and the fireworks explode above us, that in the coming year, our greater family of the nation of Israel from Eilat to Karzrin, and from Tel Aviv to Talmon are able to be just slightly less dysfunctional, and that we should be able to celebrate each other's successes, as well as our collective ones, together, as a family. May our national family know no new suffering, and may we see our greater family grow and expand, both through natural growth, and our long lost family overseas finding their way home.

Assisted Living

One of the many benefits of living in a small community like ours, is how everyone watches out for each other.
For example, this past Sunday, Erev chag, my wife woke up with an incapacitating headache which we later found out was caused by a bad sinus infection. While on a normal day, her being out of commission would be bad, on Erev chag, with her entire family over by us for 2 weeks, putting me in charge of parenting and cooking and cleaning for chag is 4 horsemen of the apacolypse level bad. To start with cooking is more my wife's realm of the kitchen, I generally just handle the eating. Plus, I find that normal humans are capable of either parenting or cleaning, but trying to mix the 2 is like saying "I like mentos, I like diet coke, I think I'll relax on the couch with a mentos-diet coke cocktail." All you end up with is a frustrating mess. My wife, being part Superwoman and part Jedi, is able to balance cooking, cleaning and childcare all at once. So even when she is feeling under the weather and needs some help, it's generally with just one of those things. This is how I knew she was really sick, when she actually thought that I could somehow actually fill in for her rather than the usual additional assistance that I provide.
This is one of those moments that separates the men from the boys, will I seize the moment, or crack under the pressure? Failure wasn't an option, So I did what any man would do, I panicked and let his friends and neighbors bail him out. Curly Sue went to a neighbor for the morning, another friend sent over a potato kugel so I wouldn't need to actually try to make a non-meat dish. Mini-Me took Princess and Little Red out to the front yard and somehow kept them out of the house long enough for me to put up chicken soup and corned beef and clean the kitchen. I am not sure how MiniMe kept them busy, although I know he didn't tie them to the tree, I can see it from the kitchen window. Thanks to friends and a very resourceful 8 year old, chag would go on in the Evillsettler home.
However that is not the end of neighborly help that we received that day. Later in the day, our neighbor, the nurse, took time out of her day to stop and and check on my wife. After seeing how she was doing, as chag was starting, she had our local doctor confirm that she was suffering from a sinus infection, who then prescribed an antibiotic that one of our neighbors had in their house, so she could start on it right away. Both the doctor and nurse came back the next day to check on her.
The most amazing part of the story is the fact that this story is not unique. That's the kind of place I live in. If you need help, your neighbor will be there lending a hand. If you're running late, of course your kids can come over until you get home. Doing yard work? Not only will your neighbor gladly lend you his yard tools, but he will be happy to lend a hand digging as well. I could go on and on, but the point is that I am blessed to be living in a place where helping each other is a way of life, not just through the many gmachim and organizations, but through every day actions and neighborly interactions. While I understand small settlement life is not for everyone, it's times like these that I feel a little bad for those who say it's not for them, they'll never be able to appreciate what they're missing. Thank you to my neighbors for helping me appreciate it.

The most wonderful time of the year

Happy Pesach. We had a great Seder here in the Settler home. As we had a couple of years ago, Mrs. Settler's family joined us from America, and was invited to see all of the benefits of living in Israel on Pesach, including soft matzot, rice on Pesach, and 1 Seder. I say see because, as visitors, they don't get to participate in any of those things while following the Rabbis of the diaspora, but they do get to see close up how Pesach was meant to be, and what they could have if they too move to the Promised Land. The little settlers were in rare form last night singing and asking questions, while we sat around on cushions on the floor, discussing the Exodus, and the origins of our Nation.
Tonight, we counted the first night of the Omer. This commemorates the new grain sacrifice that was given in the Temple, but since the destruction of it 2000 years ago, this time has been marked as a time of mourning over the 24,000 students/soldiers (depending on how you read history) of Rabbi Akiva. So you may ask how could I love a time like this more than any other time of year. The truth is that what happened to the students was a terrible tragedy, but today, this time period includes most of Pesach, spring, as well as the modern holidays of Independence Day, Lag Baomer, and Jerusalem Day. Living where I do, it's easy to see the modern day miracles that brought us as Israelis and Jews to the great place that we are in today. At this time of year, we celebrate our origin as a nation, and our origin as a modern nation. We celebrate the spring, a time of renewal, and we celebrate the renewal of our nationhood and our return to our entire land. It's a time of joy and gives us an opportunity to see how far we've come, and look towards our bright future.
I hope that you can all join us here to be a part of this historic time, as the times of mourning are turned to times of joy, and we follow with the uniting of the Jewish people under the flag of a truly free and prosperous nation, in it's homeland.

Hell Week

I am not referring to the testing week for the Navy SEALS or the pledge week in fraternities, I am referring to something much tougher and more dreaded. I of course am talking about the week before Pesach. Especially here in Israel, where in addition to the OCD approved cleaning, and the normally stocked fridges and pantries are as empty as Walmart during the Daytona 500, we have the added challenge of the schools being on vacation a full 10 days before Pesach. That's right, some sadistic individual in the education department decided that teachers are people too, and they also need to prepare for the holiday. Now imagine the challenge of cleaning a house with 4 little crumb magnets underfoot who need to be fed and entertained. Now before any of you Alpha-parents start with your "just have them help" silliness, I want to remind you that it is not your spouse who put the cookie in the playmobil container to save it for later, or who sticks their half eaten peanut butter chocolate sandwich in their pocket for later. Let's face it, children are the reason we need to bleach literally every surface in the house. Little Red hides Cheerios in her diaper so she can leave a trail of them as she wanders the house just so she won't get lost, there is no way the house will get cleaner with the kids around more.
This is why we have learned our lesson. We now send our kids to one of the half day backyard camps run by the very capable teenagers of the neighborhood. It's a win-win situation. The kids get to go out and play with friends for a few hours, the teenagers do something responsible and stay out of trouble, and the house gets clean and stays calm. I never thought i'd say this, but thank G-D for teenagers, our house may actually be ready for the family invasion later this week.
Please excuse me, I am hungry and there's nothing to eat, I wonder of that cookie is still with the playmobil...

Getting stoned

It happened again, terrorists throw rocks, and children get seriously injured. I say again, because rock throwing on many of our roads is a daily occurrence. The problem is that it is almost never reported, and even if it is reported it is brushed off as "just a rock." Well, before there were guns and bow and arrows, the weapon of choice to kill was a rock. The world's first murder, Cain killing Abel, was committed with a rock, and it's been in constant use ever since. The question I have is when did it stop being viewed as a deadly weapon. As far as I can tell, that only started when it was just the "settler" was targeted by rock throwing terrorists. As soon as it was just the settler that was targeted, the world removed rocks from their database of weapons and replaces it with settler homes. Our own government has it's share of the blame for rock attacks becoming the norm. The first time a Jew was arrested for returning fire on a rock thrower, rather than allowing himself to become another victim, the government legitimized rock throwing as something less than an act of deadly aggression.
This needs to change now. There is no way we will ever convince the world that killing Jews, even if they are nothing more than "settlers," is wrong, but if we could at least convince fellow Jews and Israelis that we bleed red too, maybe we would be able to properly defend ourselves. The Arab knows that there is no real consequence to throwing a rock right now. If he misses or just damages the vehicle without causing anyone bodily harm, it won't make the news, he won't be pursued by the authorities, and certainly his intended target would never dare return fire, out of fear of being jailed for years. That's right, here if you dare defend yourself for potential harm, our weak-willed justice system will pursue you, rather than the true aggressor, the terrorist attacking rock thrower, because you have a gun and he "just" has a rock. If the terrorist rock thrower does manage to cause bodily harm, he will most likely escape unharmed to the nearest Arab village, because our weak government took down nearly all the checkpoints as unrequited "goodwill" to our "peace partner" who will shelter this attacker. The news may or may not report as an afterthought a story of a settler being lightly injured, regardless of the extent of his injuries.
If G-D forbid someone is killed, then security services will probably pursue the murderer. However, even if he is caught, he gets a nice western style fair trial. Once convicted and sent to prison, he is given 3 square meals, regular exersize and prayer space. He has the option of pursuing a degree. And of course, our peace partner pays out a monthly stipend to the family of this courageous freedom fighter.
If we ever want this to change, we need to change a few things. First if all, we must be given the opportunity to properly defend ourselves. As we are taught in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 72a), "if one comes to kill you, rise and kill him." In other words we are not supposed to wait until they strike us to hit them back, by then it's usually too late. Rather the second danger becomes apparent, we are supposed to do what we need to do to protect ourselves.
Second, the government must make the price of any Jewish blood so unbelievably high, that no one will want to pay the price for assaulting any Jew, even a settler. Third, and most importantly, the government must stop differentiating between settlers and everyone else. If the government would enforce the same law equally over both sides of the green line, then the Jew from Tel Aviv and the Jew from Talmon would see each other and treat each other and defend each other as equals.
My prayer is that our leaders lead us into a future that we will all share together, as equals, that the children injured in tonight's mass terror attacks have a complete recovery, and that we don't have the need to pray for more children injured in terror attacks, because we have worked together to create a better safer and greater Israel for all Jews.

The Grass is Always Greener...

I was speaking with a repairman last week who said to me that he appreciates working with Anglo Olim more than native Israelis, and he's so Israeli, I think his grandparents were borne here.  He was talking about honesty and how he doesn't have the patience for all the negotiations that go on in this country over everything.  I responded to him that I prefer living in a more Israeli environment because there is less of an emphasis on materialism as opposed the the American consumerism that Olim tend to bring with them wherever they go.
I especially hear this from newer Anglo Olim.  Every time a group of relatively new olim get together, at some point the discussion goes to "I miss x from America," or "this thing is much harder here than it is back in America."  This is one of those things that I really love about living out here, because there are so few of us Olim, we can't sit off in our own clique and commisurate with each other, we need to integrate into the general society.  this has helped both our language skills as well as our general outlook on life in Israel.
i always tell people that we moved here so our kids can grow up in Israel, the truth the longer we are here, the more often I find myself saying that we moved here so our kids could be Israeli.  Sure we hope some of our American sensibilities stay with the kids, we hope they are able to add to the greater good of Israeli society, but we hope that we all learn from the people who beat us here as well.

Gun-toting Evilsettler

I was asked recently by a friend in The US what my opinion is on guns.  I don't feel that is a fair question, it's like asking a man his opinion on meat or cars, so I answered "yes, please."  I think he meant to ask about gun control, which is a more complex question and requires a more involved answer, much like asking a man about his opinion on rear wheel drive vs front wheel drive, or the merits and demerits of non-cow meat in sausages.
As I left a meeting the other day, one of the people I met with noticed my gun tucked into my pants and commented,"I didn't know you carried, is that because of where you live?"  I find it funny that most people think I live in the "Wild West" just because I live over the green line.  I answered that the fact that I live in a settlement has very little bearing on my decision to carry a gun, although it did make it easier to get a gun license.  I grew up around guns.  My grandfather was a cop, he always carried a gun, had at least one other locked in the house, and had a shotgun in the trunk.  He was a great example of responsible gun ownership.  I feel safer having guns around rather than not having guns around.
Here in Israel, the laws are very different than they are in the US.  While it may seem that the entire country is armed, the fact is that most of the guns you see while walking around are rifles carried by soldiers.  Private citizens are basically prohibited from owning any sort of rifle, unless they are in the security services, ie army, police, or municipal first responders (kitat konenut).  To be able to own a handgun, you must first show need, then pass a background check, then take a safety course and pass an accuracy test, which you need to renew every few years.  Then you receive your license on the specific handgun you applied for.  With all of these checks in place, there is very little gun violence in this country.  In every school there is at least one armed guard.  In my son's school, several of the teachers and administrators are armed as well.  All of this makes the school more secure, not less secure.  Guns are not any more dangerous than anything else, the danger is irresponsibility.  My gun is on me at all times, if it's not, it's locked away.  My children have been made to understand that they are never ever allowed to touch a gun.  They see guns around, they play soldier like all kids do, but they know to never touch the real thing.  That is how kids here are raised.  They understand that guns are not toys, and their purpose is only for self defense.  As observant Jews, since we can't eat meat that wasn't slaughtered in a very specific way, we don't hunt, so our children don't see guns used recreationally.
With that being said, I like guns, and am not opposed to properly thought out and enforced gun control, as long as it allows for responsible ownership and freedom to carry.  I find target shooting relaxing and stress relieving.  I respect the craftsmanship of a well designed and built firearm.  And I don't understand Jews who adverse to gun-ownership.  After 2000 years of persecution, pogroms, and The Holocust, I would think that Jews would be the top buyers of guns for self-defense wherever they could.  But surprisingly, I hear more anti-gun sentiment from Jews in the diaspora than anyone else.  I guess I have a better understanding of why the Jews had to wander in the desert for 40 years before entering Israel, they needed to grow a generation of leaders who weren't former slaves.  They needed people who didn't grow up being told that they had no rights and no ability to defend themselves.  The same thing applies today, we will only be able to be a truly strong nation when we raise a generation of leaders who believe in a strong Israel, who didn't grow up ruled by other nations.  I hope to raise my children to be among that generation.

Beep You!

As anyone who knows me is painfully aware, I am not above using the occasional explative.  Ok, I I have a worse potty mouth than a sailor who stubbed his toe.  So the title of this post is not meant to shelter your sensitive eyes, it is a nod to one of my favorite driving tools, the horn.
I will preface this by saying that I did not learn defensive driving.  I learned how to drive from my grandfather, a cop, who's driving philosophy was "driving is a lot like football, you are the ball-carrier, and all the other cars on the road are the defenders.  Get around them, and don't let any of them hit you."  One of the many things I learned from him, aside from the ability to parallel park any car in any spot, and how to take a curve without breaking, was the proper use of the horn.  the horn is a multi-functional tool that can be used to warn the sleeping driver in front of you that the light has turned green, the car rapidly approaching the stop sign that you do not intend on relinquishing your right-of-way in the oncoming intersection, to warn off drivers intent on merging into your lane that they should in fact use their mirror for checking the lane, and not just to check their makeup, and may other driving offenses.
The problem I have found is that here in Israel, people are very reluctant to make use of their horns, almost to the point where I am not sure most people realize that it comes standard, and they won't be charged a service fee for using it.  Most drivers here instead opt for using their high beams as an all purpose warning system, whether it be to let you know that their ESP is telling them that the light will soon change to green and you should already be moving into the intersection, that they intend on passing the double trailer in front of them by use of the oncoming traffic lane that you so rudely are using for the purpose of going in the direction it is meant for, or that you are not driving fast enough/slow enough for their personal comfort level.  The problem is that high beams, while annoying, do not give the other driver the same jolt like warning that is needed, plus, more importantly, doesn't have the same stress relief properties as a solid horn-honking.  You just can't smash down on the high-beam lever with the same gusto that you can lean on the horn.  In my opinion this is the biggest problem in driving here.  When using the horn you are releasing some of that pent up aggression that you are feeling towards the other dopes who are occupying space on your road, when flashing them with your high-beams, all you are doing the driving equivalent of mumbling under your breath.  you are expressing your frustration only internally, and not actually putting it out there in the open where the issue can be resolved.  There is no consequence for being flashed by someone else's high beams, so there is no motivation to change anything about the way that you are currently driving.  Unlike when someone honks at you, not only is it the automotive equivalent of getting yelled at, but everyone else around you sees that you are getting yelled at, and you feel compelled to modify your inappropriate behavior.
I understand that we can't correct all of the driving problems in this country overnight.  there will always be some people who leave their blinkers on for miles (sorry, kilometers) after they have merged, attempt to pass on blind curves, and drive Priuses in the left lane.  This is not of country of car affecionados, and serious drivers.  Most people here will never know what the difference between supercharged and turbocharged is, what the value of a Z-rated tire is, or that Peugeot owners should have their licenses revoked simply for showing they know nothing about cars at all through the act of purchasing a Peugeot.
While we never be able to solve these problems, maybe if we could take just one small step, if we could get people to honk more, we could make a small but meaningful change on the roads.  If people used their horns here more, they would not need to drive as aggressively, because some of their anger and aggression would be channeled out through the horn, thus saving countless lives taken on our roads by over-aggressive drivers.  Thank you for listening, now get out of my way.

10 Years!

10 years ago my wife and I celebrated our wedding.  10 years, a lot can happen in 10 years.  In 10 years you can, have 4 kids, move halfway across the world, live in 7 different homes, switch jobs, look for new careers, learn anew language (more or less) and hopefully learn to be a bit less self absorbed along the way.  It has been a great 10 years, not with out it's trials and tribulations, but that is part of life no matter where you are.
One of the nice things about living in a small community like our's, when a few of our friends heard it was going to be our 10 year anniversary, they insisted on taking our kids so we could go away for a couple of nights by ourselves.  The fact that our kids feel comfortable enough with their friends' parents makes it easier on us as well.  We don't have to worry that we are putting the kids somewhere just so we could have some time to ourselves as we'll.  in fact I don't know who is more excited, us to get away together for the first time since our pilot trip 7 years ago, or the kids.  I hope we can make a (not to regular) habit of this.

Sick and Tired

The only thing worse than being sick is when your kids are sick.  Not only does your entire plan for the day get thrown out the door, but you get to hear hours of whining that as a parent, you must accept.  Normally when your child whines, you can say something like "cut it out" or my personal favorite, "keep it up and I'll give you something to cry about."  But when they are sick you need to suck it up and deal with it.  Plus there's the whole I don't like my child to ever be in pain thing that most of us feel for our kids.
We started off the week with 2 sick little girls, and a teething toddler, I have had less painful dental surgeries, but thankfully they are all back to normal and out of the house today.
Whining and crying are just a couple of things that you learn to deal with as part of parenthood, it beats the alternatives.  A couple of nights at the hospital with Mini Me for various things, as well as a miscarriage, will teach you that if you are not naturally one of those sensitive types.  As parents we get to deal with all sorts of crap, whether it's a whiny child when you are on a call, getting up every night for weeks to change your child's sheets during toilet training season, (with 4 kids 8 and under, it does seem like a yearly thing), or having to say things like "how do you lose 1 shoe?"," don't stick broccoli in your ear," or my personal favorite "yogurt is not paint and your sister is not a canvas."  It means never leaving the front door open when you have an adventurous toddler.  It means seeing just how annoying all of your idiosyncrasies are, because what annoys you most in your own children is usually that same thing that annoys others about you, calling up your own parents and apologizing for all the crap you did after the first time you say the words, "because I am your father and I said so!"
And we don't do it because of those moments when our child wins a wrestling tournament or because they bring home good report cards, we do it because they are our children and we love them, whether they bring home that good report card, or the note from the teacher saying call me with a little sad face on it and a couple of exclamation points.  They are our offspring, our legacy and our fault.  So we do whatever it takes to take care of them, even cleaning poop.

Proper education

Kids learn from everything their parents say and do, this is just a fact of life.  The problem is that having kids doesn't suddenly make one a better person.  A slob doesn't suddenly become Martha Stewart after the birth of their child, and someone who thinks forks are a table decoration does not suddenly become miss manners when their little princess is borne.  This means that an asshat is probably going to raise little asshats of his own, and if you see some 5 year old singing the latest drivel from Brittany Spears, odds are their parents have no taste in music, and this is what they hear in the car on the way to school.

This is way I make sure to introduce my kids to classic rock as early as possible.  They are going to pick up my potty mouth, my hatred for mornings, (except for Curly Sue, she loves mornings, the earlier the better for her), and many of my other shortcomings.  The least I could do is give them a basis for distinguishing quality music, especially in a country that has no true rock stations, and mostly just puts the top 40 on replay, thank G-D for IPods and Internet radio.  And this why Little Red falls asleep most peacefully with the Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd in the background.  

Education starts at home, hopefully, in the case of music appreciation, it ends there as well.

Living in the sticks

I grew up I the suburbs, and I loved it.  I had no dream of city life.  I always envisioned raising my kids in the quiet 'burbs as well.  My wife grew up in a big city, she loves the hustle and bustle of city life, but she too sees the benefits of raising kids outside the city.  However neither of us envisioned the more rural settings that we live in as where we would end up.
Here in Israel, you have the option of living in every conceivable setting there is, from big city, to rural farm and everything in between.  So you might ask, with all those options, why do we choose to live on a hilltop off the beaten path?
There are many reasons, but the best way to summarize it is quality of life.  While we may have spotty public transportation, we have a neighborhood full of people who will give you a lift in or out.  Our kids have the run of the neighborhood, with only a couple of streets, and enough cul-du-sacs and walking paths. We don't worry about them crossing busy streets or getting lost on the way to a friend's house.  And since everyone here knows each other, my kids that their parents are always watching them.  I have a yard with grass and a great view, an herb garden, a vegetable garden, and a couple of trees.  All of this for a fraction of an apartment in the city.  Sure it may take us more time to go out to a nice dinner, but because we are right in between 2 major cities, we have plenty to choose from.
Besides, I have a much better appreciation for Jeff Foxworthy's humor now that my neck is a darker shade of red.