A World of Weird

Read, set strike! New Histadrut head, Ofer Eini, flexes his muscles yesterday by calling a general strike that was supposed to go into effect at 6:00 this morning. The courts forced the Histadrut to wait until 9:00 and keep some basic services running. The reason for the strike? Over 3700 public workers haven't been paid.

Name that tune: I've written several times about that incredibly sophmoric (and yet very funny) song that came out during the war, Y'allah Ya Nasralla, a series of juvenile taunts at Hezbullah. So check it out: I'm getting ready to get off the train yesterday, and a tinny version of the melody errupts from the cell phone of the guy standing next to me. He answers. In Arabic. Y'allah ya, indeed.

Passing the baton: Well, actually, it is two massive binders filled with correspondence and notes. My term as secretary for the Israel chapter of STC ends last night and I turn the goodies over to the incoming secretary. During the meeting, which is the big annual general assembly, an older man marches in, ignoring all of our attempts to ask him if he needs help, and plops himself down in the back. A few minutes later, a slightly embarrassed gentleman comes in to collect him. Turns out that the community center where we are holding the meeting is also the site of a big event for a group of developmentally disabled adults. Ironically, many of them seem to have the same social skills as many high tech engineers.

Weather or not: It is spring, which means that the weather can't make up its mind about anything. We get drizzles, wind, sun, and a hazy overcast sky, all in a few hours. I travel back from the meeting with one colleague who stands shivering on the train platform in sandals. He zigged when the weather zagged.

It's final project time: There is always a big dose of weird when I start working my way through student projects. I alternate between kvelling over (being proud of) the good ones, and groaning over the bad and the ugly. So far, they've been good. Keep it up, guys!