Israeli this and that...

So back to my Israel stories I have been neglecting to pass along.

Here are some tidbits that weren’t long enough in and of themselves for a post, but nonetheless are some good little postings.

One day, when we were in Jerusalem, there was an interesting dose of reality that “hit” us, or rather, our bus. We had been dropped off in the old city and did some walking tour type stuff. It was time to return to the bus and as we approached it, it was clear the glass in the door had been shattered. When David (the bus driver) got off, I asked him what happened. He replied that he had driven around the city to get to the parking area and had passed by the Muslim quarter. Our bus was clearly marked with “Birthright” which confirms it’s a bunch of Jews on board. Well, a couple of Arabs popped out from an alley and started throwing rocks at the bus. The Israeli’s reactions that were with us kind of surprised me. They weren’t surprised. They weren’t really mad. It was complete disgust/ disappointment. For me, after some time to think, I’m not mad. As the guilt trip goes, I’m simply disappointed.

Now onto a good item. I’ve discovered Israeli crack. It’s called Bamba. Bamba is unlike anything I’ve had before. Take cheesy poofs, not Cheetos, they’re crunchy, but the fluffy cheesy poofs. Now instead of a cheese flavor, make it peanut butter flavored. I know, sounds weird. I had my doubts too, but this is seriously the greatest snack food ever. I’m now on a hunt to find it in Dallas.

If you haven't seen my pictures from the trip yet, e-mail me and I'll send you the link.

Politics: Early predictions

Since I called the Democratic VP candidate as Biden about a month before the announcement, I'll toss out another early prediction...

Looking at the electoral map there are a few situations that could play out. If Obama gets Ohio OR Florida he wins, period. McCain MUST carry both states.

If McCain pulls Wisconsin and Michigan away from Obama, McCain wins. Obama should keep both, but it will cost him millions to do so. If he struggles with cash late in the campaign he could very well lose one of those states. If he loses one, it still comes down to my final verdict below.

Final verdict... you heard it hear first, and probably last...
North Carolina could very well be the decider. (No, not as in GW is the "decider.") And the deciding factor will be voter turnout. Obama better pray for large turnouts, especially of first time voters and Clintonian Republicans who've stayed home in the last few elections.

The challenge? Being on the East Coast polls will close before the rest of the states and thus, no last minute push could be swayed by how the other states go.

This is all academic though if Obama can pull one out in either Ohio or Florida, Florida being the more likely of the two. McCain could very well take Wisconsin so look for large amounts of money being poured into that state soon after the conventions are over. If there is a protracted fight there it will come down to a dollars game. Who has more for last minute media blitzes.

My Electoral Map

PS- McCain takes Mitt as VP.

I told you so... oil, sweet oil

This goes out to all the idiots out there who were buying sweet crude futures at $165 a barrel and above. I'm glad you're losing your shirt, or Timmy's college money or your retirement. Trying to capitalize on war and tough times is simply wrong. You tried to pull a fast one and got caught with your hand in the cookie jar. You deserve it.

For those not sure what I'm talking about oil dropped below the $118 a barrel mark this week after having been going through the roof and hitting almost $150 a barrel just one month before. Why was it going through the roof? It could have been global economic pressures caused by the continued industrialization of China, India and other such countries, or it could have been the prospect of America falling into another quagmire with an OPEC nation (Iran), or it may have simply been overall demand rising in the U.S. itself. It could have been, and all these played a role, but another driver no one wanted to talk about was the idiots buying the oil futures at well above current projections. What happens then? People get scared and jump on the bandwagon. Then, more people are buying at even hire prices. Fear and the lemur mentality take over.

Next time, don't follow the rest of the pack into the on-coming truck. And more importantly, don't try to make a quick buck at someone else's misfortune.

Trip to Israel, Part I (the highlight)

So, I’m back from Israel and am still attempting to get my sleeping patterns straightened out, but oh what a time! I will be posting several stories over the next few days and will hopefully get to posting the pictures this weekend. All-in-all, it was an amazing trip.

So everyone keeps asking me what was the most amazing part of the trip. There are so many moments that stand out, both good and bad, that although it sounds cheesy and cliché, it really is hard to chose just one. After thinking about it though, I’d have to say spending Shabbat (the Jewish day of rest) in Jerusalem was what stands out the most.

There are several reasons for this. The first is, well, I’ve never prayed with that many Jews before! Friday night at the Kotel (Western Wall) was truly amazing. Thousands of people dancing, celebrating and praying, all from different backgrounds, from so many different countries around the world, but all with the single binding fact of being Jewish. For my Christian friends that probably doesn’t sound like much, but to put it in perspective, think that only 2 people out of 100 in the United States are Jewish, and that’s the second highest percentage behind only Israel! Jews make up 0.2% of the world’s population. They’re ain’t many of us out there!

But you ask, “Redneck, there are so many other religions out there too, surely they are just as small.”

Well, here is a list of just a few of the religions that have more adherents than Judaism:
Christianity (duh), Islam (double duh), Hinduism, Buddhism, primal-indigenous, African tribal, Sikhism, Chinese traditional, secular humanism and Spiritism. Never heard of some of these? Neither have I. You get the point. So, for someone from outside Israel to be surrounded by 90% Jewish people, it is truly a rare event and one that is hard to articulate.

Looking across the Kotel and seeing the shtreimel (fur covered hats of mostly Russian Jews), spodiks (somewhat taller fur hats) and kippot (a.k.a. yarmulkes) of all kinds and colors was beyond surreal. Call it Kafkaesque, but without the bad hangover. :)

The other amazing part is I have never been in a city that almost completely shuts down for Shabbos. After sunset (when Shabbat begins- remember, no Rolexes 3,000 years ago) the city streets of Jerusalem are almost completely empty of cars. We enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the hotel and spent half of it walking in the middle of the street. The following morning we walked to services and even stopped, waiting on people to catch up, in a rotunda that the day before was like the Indy 500. Saturday morning though, not a car in sight. It was like a post-apocalyptic zombie movie, sans the blood and the brain eaters.

There was a calm, peaceful quiet about the city. Shops were closed, streets were quiet except for people talking and their laughs echoing down the street. Even the air seemed a little lighter and crisper than before. Whether you believe in G-d or not, you would have to agree that seeing a city of 750,000 people come to a near complete halt for 24 hours has a calming influence that we rarely encounter, and is something we have a hard time comprehending.

If you feel like it, in the comments share the moment in your life where it seemed the calmest your world ever was.