Studying in a Winter Wonderland

So, I guess my professor is not having office hours. He warned us: "If it snows on Wednesday, I will not be in my office." Let's hope he's at home sipping hot chocolate and sitting next to the fireplace.

I admit it--I lied. I said, "I don't want snow; it will only make my little bedroom--fondly referred to as the 'Mini-Frigidaire'--even colder". But as I sit inside now, surrounded by "Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in 36 Countries" and "Theory and Methods in Political Science," I can't help but gaze out the window. Now that I look out my picture window to the snowy neighborhood of Katamon, I take back my words and think to myself that is really is beautiful.

And I realize that in a world that often concentrates on the ugly, bad side of things, we have to take advantage of every chance there is to see the beauty.

Unfortunately, this snow has been accompanied by a lot of rain, strong winds, flooding, people's houses falling down and a high number of road accidents (Article). However, there are some good things going on. For instance (from the Jerusalem Post): In light of the expected freeze, the Jerusalem Municipality rented hotel rooms for the city's homeless to at least give them a roof over their heads.

Let's just wish everyone else a safe (if wintery) week.

A few pictures for your enjoyment:

Don't be scared . . . he's only 8 inches tall!

And by the way, since I don't have a fireplace, can someone sit by one for me?

They can get along-so why can't we?

I Made an Illegal Turn . . . and Obviously My Country Did, Too

I turned left yesterday when I wasn't supposed to. No, this is not a joke about Derek Zoolander and his inability to turn left--this is real life (or at least the semi-real life adventures that make it to my blog not entirely rewritten for attempted comic relief). Yes, I broke the law. The feds chased after me through the quiet streets of Rechavia after breaking the simplest of traffic laws. (Well, if by chased you mean sitting at home watching reruns of Eretz Nehederet , the Israeli "Saturday--errr, Friday, Night Live," then yes.) No, there were no cops, but there was the realization that Jerusalem--at least in the aspect of prohibited left turns whenever you need them--is turning into Tel Aviv, AKA "The city that never sleeps (because everyone is still driving around trying to turn left)."

So, in a car rented by a friend who needed my help moving but who still hasn't gotten her Israeli driving license, I embarked on my first Israeli driving experience after my driving test (make that one plural) over a year ago. My trusty Israeli side-kick, after seeing that it was very clearly marked that the turn I needed was illegal . . . encouraged me to do so anyway. So, I turned.

And it seems our country as a whole did, too, this last year.
I woke up this morning to read the headline, "Rich, poor gap deepens despite major economic growth." Honestly, this is the type of headline that could appear in almost any country's newspapers, so it didn't initially shock me. That is, until I read the article (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/802011.html).

Two chilling facts from the report published by the Adva Center:
*The highest paid individuals in Israel earn 50 times more than those earning minimum wage.
*55 percent of 17-year-olds failed to earn high-school diplomas in 2005.

Ok, so we are living in an increasingly capitalist society that targets the salaries to the sectors that bring in the money. This is understandable. But this country was built on socialist roots--we are supposed to actually care about inequality, about the fact that poverty in Israel has changed from an anomaly to a set trend for a large percentage of people.

The report emphasizes that growth is a good thing, but it must be managed by and alongside a public policy that takes into account other sectors of society--one that can "spread the wealth."

I know the argument against this--But if they are earning the money, why must they give it up? The answer is simple: Because construction workers, merchants, street sweepers, bus drivers, teachers (!), gardeners, at-home parents, nurses, and more make up and support the society that allows certain individuals to earn 421,000 shekels a month while others earn a meager 3,000 a month.

I'm not an economist, but I I don't think it takes a mathematical genius to see the major negative aspects of this situation:
1) Such a large socio-economic gap is currently not good for Israeli society as a whole--when at least 600,000 children go to bed hungry every night, when 25% of the population is living below the poverty line and their precarious positions are only sinking each year.
2) Such a large socio-economic gap will not be good for Israeli society in the future.
One must only read the second fact above--the rate of young adults not acquiring even the most basic of educational goals--to be assured of this.

So, why have we turned the wrong way, when to some of us, the right way seems like such a clear choice? I am not sure of the answer to this question, but in the meantime, we can't afford to make any more wrong turns.