... and on the Bus, Part III

The bus was packed today. There was little room to stand and every stop resulted in people being pushed slightly to the side so that passengers could get on and off the bus. On one stop, one old man made his way through and as he exited the bus, a religious 30 year old looking man shouted him, "Are you an idiot? Don't push me." I looked at him in disbelief - was he honestly calling the white haired man an idiot for trying to get off the bus? The ~30 year old man proceeded to explain his reasoning in a cellphone conversation, "The man waited till the last second to get up [knowing how buses stop here in Israel, can you honestly blame him?], and then pushed by me and almost made me drop my phone." Yes, that is definitely a reason to call an old man a tembel. I think one can tell the path society is taking by how it treats its elders ... It's a sad testament not only for Israeli society, but for society in general, how today's elders are afforded less and less respect ...

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October was an interesting month. Talya & Nissim spent 10 days abroad in Geneva & Paris. It was the first time I was 'home alone' since I got married. I found myself saddened by the empty house I returned to every day, and found myself appreciating my wife even more considering the fact she annually has to deal with 30+ days while I'm miluim (Reserve Duty).

Ironically enough, within a few days after my wife & kid returned, I was off to London for business - my first trip there in two years. It was great to see old faces, and meet new ones, but the highlight of the trip was watching Liverpool play Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. I've been a Liverpool fan since the mid '80s and I've always wanted to see them live. The last opportunity I had was unfortunately canceled by the Lebanon War, but this time I didn't miss out on the game. Though we lost 2-1 (despite a cracking goal from Emiliano Insua), it was just an amazing experience and I really look forward to getting to the Holy Grail of footy stadiums (at least for a Liverpool fan!), Anfield, in the next few years.

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An interesting piece from Der Spiegel about Israel's operation to destroy a Syrian nuclear site.
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