Isn't Something Missing Here?

A guy makes a movie, some people watch it, and get so mad that they kill people and wreck property.

Maybe this is an understatement. Maybe it is a clear representation of the circumstances we have witnessed September 11, 2012 and the days following. The events occurring at United States Embassies throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Southern Asia raise questions about what is reasonable behavior.

The rhetoric is that these events are the result of a movie.

Sometimes some of the most stupid ideas are made into movies. Other times movies represent actual happenings. Still other times, writers mix fact with fancy. That doesn't mean we should kill each other because somebody made a movie. Does it?

It is understandable that one person can offend another. Yet, we have laws to govern how these situations are to be handled. If people are not willing to be curtailed by the laws of their communities, should they just be allowed to act "outside the box" or "off the grid"? Is anarchy the reasonable alternative to governance?

Who is being blamed for the movie that has offended to the point of creating killers? The United States? Why? What did the United States do to cause the movie to be written, directed, recorded, or shown to audiences? Who is the person or persons that should shoulder some responsibility for the creation of the movie itself? After a little bit of searching (it really didn't take any effort at all), these pieces of information seem to be the accepted current "facts".

Feds Question Nakoula Basseley Nakoula – AKA Sam Bacile

The article indicates that the person has used several aliases and has been a "white-collar" criminal.

The movie actors seem to have not known how the finished product would appear to audiences.

This Wikipedia site may not be neutral in its content, but it is informative.

 ADL's Abraham Foxman said, "We are greatly concerned that this false notion that an Israeli Jew and 100 Jewish backers were behind the film now has legs and is gathering speed around the world. [...] In an age where conspiracy theories, especially ones of an anti-Semitic nature, explode on the Internet in a matter of minutes, it is crucial for those news organizations who initially reported on his identity to correct the record." Foxman specifically criticized "news organizations across the Arab world and anti-Semites and anti-Israel activists" for continuing to describe the filmmaker and backers as Jewish despite the fact that no Jews were involved in the making of the film.

Correction is Crucial. However, if they appear at all, they will probably be on page 12, at the bottom, between ads for groceries and used cars.

The man who made the movie is a self-proclaimed Coptic Christian. Coptic means Egyptian. That does not mean that every Coptic Christian is Egyptian, but indicates that the Church has existed since the first century in Alexandria, Egypt. it is older than the Roman Catholic Church.

This is a Coptic Network link.

Most Coptic Christians are probably scandalized by one of their own making such a movie. If they took it upon themselves to publicly censure this movie-maker, it might be understandable. However, the real damage has been done.

All that aside, here are a couple of the real problems.

1. People have died.
2. Property has been destroyed.
3. Israel has been demonized by use of a nom-de-plume
4. United States has been victimized because the movie was recorded within its borders
5. A lot of people seem to be apologizing to Islam for something they did not do
6. Anarchists seem to be winning the Public Relations War
7. Reasonable people appear powerless to effect the outcome of this situation
8. We are all being held hostage

Something is missing here. Justice. Reason. Credibility. Integrity.

This article is not meant to offend. These are just some Shavings of Sanity.

Housing without paying a Builder

The really sad truth is that if you want a home, you generally need to pay an architect, general contractor, many sub-contractors, teams of people who accomplish foundation, framing, roofing, electric, water & plumbing, refrigeration, interior finishing & drywall (or plaster), finished carpenters for cabinetry, flooring, and maybe even interior design. This was just a short list, but every one of the categories of work have paychecks that increase the cost of your domicile.

Of course, this is usual. This is common. This is just the way it is. You can't do anything about these expenses. Everybody has to pay them. This is just the cost of building a home.

I suppose you can take some depreciation on these costs by purchasing a used home. I guess this is a second-hand house. Please don't read "second-hand" as a pejorative label. Used doesn't need to imply abused, although that can also be true. Most people, however, care for their homes because these homes are viewed as investments. We care for our investments. Therefore, a previously-owned home can be a good purchase if you buy at the right time.

The way real estate fluctuates, you may find yourself waiting for years for a down-turn that will allow you to buy your home at a price you can handle, and then you may wait more years for it to appreciate enough for you to realize and increase on your investment. Then, if you subtract the interest on your mortgage from the appreciated value of the property, you may find you still have your head under water.

"Nutz! What could I have done?" you may be asking yourself.

I just stumbled across pictures of shipping container homes. Shipping container homes? Yep - forty foot shipping containers modified into homes.

My first thought was that if I wanted to move to another country, I could pack up my home, and it will ship as a standard container (for all intents and purposes). Second thought, I could buy a freezer container and make a temporary freezer room for my bakery. Third, these containers can stack, so it is a simple process to have a two-story home on a limited land space.

Ok, it's not so simple. How many of us have a huge crane around to stack or even just install a shipping container on our property? There are some costs, but they may not add up to the costs of all the labor detailed in the first paragraph of this article. The cost encountered will, however, be significant. I haven't looked into those costs at this time.

I have considered the difference between the container home (or room) and a traditional prefab home. You will be limited by specific size of container. If security is an issue, there may be no prefab home that can offer the protection of a shipping container. As an American-Israeli living in Israel, I prefer the security of an entire home built to withstand the rigors of shipping. A steel house is like living in a house built like our security rooms. When my family is at stake, I say "Security first!" - especially if bombs are falling (like in Sderot or Ashkelon).

The concept of living in a metal box is a little intimidating, though, so I decided to look through the internet for some examples of people making houses of shipping containers. I include a few of those sites here.

This house is in Jerusalem, and it is covered with wood slat treatment.
Jerusalem Pine Trees House

This treatment of a container makes me think of living in the openness of a tent type environment.
Open Source Housing?

Shipping container homes may be the ultimate in recycling. Here are two links to recycling & reuse sites showing examples of the use of shipping containers.

10 completely different treatments of the shipping container as a structure
10 pretty visions for shipping containers from around the world

Some of the images above are stark, and some are soft, while still others are advanced architecturally. One of the homes pictured is the first in America to conform to all building codes.

Writing this article created several questions for me. How much does it cost to buy a container? How much does it cost to have one converted? How much does it cost to have it delivered & installed? How does it handle weather? How much does it cost to pack up & move. Can I have windows and close the box to be a secure environment at the same time? Can I have sliding security walls? Will the walls withstand a series of shots from a 50 caliber machine gun? Can it withstand an RPG? Will it withstand a SCUD missile?

Ok, maybe I am getting a little bit carried away. How about this for a fairly serious question that I didn't see treated on any site so far. Can I use a shipping container as a prefab basement providing a strong foundation for a house above? It seems to me that a steel box would not have "foundation shift" in a limited area, and therefore would create less cracks in a traditional house built above the shipping container basement.

There may be many uses for these containers that have yet to be explored. If you have some ideas, and want to do some research, here is a link to a company that both sells and modifies shipping containers for private and business applications.

many suppliers of shipping container homes & offices

Most of these suppliers are in China. Is it possible that this kind of modification can be done in other countries that have major ports and excessive numbers of containers, or containers that have exceeded their "life-span"? Maybe this is a new industry for our country or even our family. Israel is filled with building cranes, has major ports and thousands of shipping containers.

Reformation

I wish a job would 'just fall in my lap'.
I'm a good person and a good worker.

I am fine the way I am.
I shouldn't need to change.
It doesn't matter who I am—I assume I'm OK.
I'm OK—you're OK.
However, no matter who I am or how I am, I am seldom OK.
It's not that I am sick in either mind or body (although that could be true)...
It's just that I need to be different than I am.

Status quo is a no go...

We are creatures of change and growth. It is in our nature to evolve. Not like Darwin would indicate, but away from what we have been, and toward what we are to become.

We build houses, communities, friendships, trade-routes, businesses, and self-images.
We make automobiles, cakes, mistakes, even overtures to each other.
What we don't commonly do is build self-esteem or make self-modifications.

OK, we think we do these things. We decide we feel good about ourselves. We think we change when we decide to cut our hair or quit smoking.

We define ourselves by the work we do. Some of us are philanthropists and others are sanitation engineers. If we don't like what we do for work, then we define ourselves by what we do for pleasure. If that is embarrassing, then we define ourselves by our families or our friends.

Mostly, we define ourselves by what we do that other people notice.

So, now I find myself in a different country than the one where I grew up. Many people here also grew up where I did, but they have been here longer than I, and they have acclimated well. This is their home, and they define themselves by the relationships they have made here, the hardships and joys they have experienced here, the work they do here, and the families they have built here, and the relationships they brought with them and maintain here.

This is Israel. It is a land blessed and honored. History recognizes this land. Hearts yearn for this land. The land itself longs to be filled with people of light, gladness, joy, and honor.

We who come to Israel as adults long to be accepted as we are by this land and this country and this nation and this people. We bring our personal goals, abilities, mindsets, expectations, and desires. We want to be a round peg for a round hole, but we find the hole has unexpected corners. How can we fit? Where do we belong?

Of course, we do belong here: in this land: Israel. We settle our families and put our kids into schools. We focus on our children because they are our hope. We make braided bread and take challah. We shop and farm, we work and play. We learn and teach. We reach out to each other.

I began to study Hebrew in Ulpan. About the time I was able to have a conversation with the linguistic skill of a three year old child, I realized that I must work or I would not be able to pay for my family to live. No Problem. I have skills. There are jobs. We have the internet and email in our home. I read job postings. I sent my resume (CV) and requests for interview to many job postings. Why aren't responses inundating my email in-box?

Maybe my CV is not targeted to the position being offered? I created so many different resumes from my basic information that I had to create a folder tree to manage them. Which cover letters had the information I needed to cut-and-paste for the next completely different introduction?

People say the job-search is a little different here in Israel. Evidently they are right. I have been told that networking will get the job that a CV may not: that more jobs are gained because you know someone in a company than because you are the most qualified for the position. That may be true. I'll know when it happens.

I have talked to doctors who were specialists but now work in a clinic (or two, or three). I know a wonderful pulpit rabbi who now is a fund-raiser (he knows a lot of people). I have an instructor who came here to become a rabbi, but became a teacher instead (a lot of common ground). I have spoken to an accountant who now works in a 'think-tank' (as an economist). The fund-raiser and the instructor both came to the position they each have through word-of-mouth. They were willing to become something they had not considered. They were willing to change. They just needed to become something different than they were.

So now I come full circle. I will be OK, but I am now. I need change—modification. I need to remake myself.

What are my skills, and how do they apply to the needs of my new homeland? What does Israel need from me? What can I offer?

My Hebrew is severely limited. My technical skills are profound. I can write. I may even be an interesting person. Some things about me may be useable already, and others may need modification. It's just that I need to be different than I am. I need to make me into a person with skills Israel needs. I need to make me an attractive addition to the work-force.

I am a creature of change and growth. It is in my nature to evolve. I am a creature that makes things out of raw materials. I can either modify the materials around me into new structures, or I can grow my thinking into new ideas and patterns. Modifying materials builds buildings, automobiles, toasters, viruses, prosthetic devices, and gardens. Growing thinking patterns builds morals, philosophies, ideals, honor, self-image, and goals. I have spent much of my life modifying materials. Now it is time to grow my mind, my self-image, my goals, and my perspective.

I expected to be a round peg when I made aliyah. I expected to find a round hole for me here in Israel. Maybe I am not a round peg, or maybe there are no round holes. I don't know about that. What I do know is that I must change to become the person I am supposed to be. No matter who I am or how I am, I am not OK until I become the person my family needs me to be. My greater family (Shivtei Yisrael) needs me to evolve also. I need to help build the world of my fathers here in the land of our ancestors for the present and for the future. I need to discover what Israel needs me to be. I must become the worker whose skill can help create the new thing. I must become that new thing.

There's a reformation coming.

Maybe then my email inbox will overflow...

The compass points to what you desire most...

Oh My G-d!

Lost! Rudderless! Drifting... Ship of State listing...

Captain abdicated, though still present.

Woke on my couch, young son asleep on the second couch in the salon.

What would his life hope to become, now that mine allowed itself to diminish?

Living in Israel! Wonderful! Wanted to do that all my life.

Prayed every year that next year Pesach would be observed in Jerusalem.

I'm close! I live in Modi'in. I never dreamed I would be the righteous old man with his children begging for bread.

Well, I'm not begging yet – a least not right now... It's 12:38 AM, and I just realized I am an emotional shambles. I won't be begging until sometime after the sunrise of my life.

I have my pride. That's just the problem. Pride.

I thought I could come to Israel and Israel would stretch out its arms and say to me and my family – Welcome!

In a sense that did happen. My sons are in schools, and the social infrastructure of the country is assisting us economically. My wife is employed as a fund-raiser for an out-sourcing company. They love her so much that they allow her to work 10-hour days for minimum wage. I performed the same work for a different company for a smaller salary and less hours. They acted like they loved me, but they didn't offer to work me nearly as hard, so how can one really know?

This I can presume to know – it seems certain that my son is tossing and turning on the couch as if the keystrokes of this computer are like the noise of train tracks when you live in a shack built too close to the passing 4:05 AM freight to Pittsburgh. Maybe it isn't the keystrokes, but my declination that disturbs his rest.

We moved from Overland Park Kansas. I had no problem with declination, and had worked as a Telecom Engineer for 8 years. {N Latitude 38.958954, W Longitude 94.68414, Declination = 2° 38' E changing by 0° 7' W/year}. I used to be a writer of Poetry for Publication expressing both joy & pain. Lately, I have only written for business, but not for the joy or pain in my soul since 1987. Only business. Sad.

Now we live in Modi'in Israel. {N Latitude: 31° 46' 1.2", E Longitude: 35° 13' 58.8", Magnetic declination: 3° 53' EAST}. My personal compass is still not adjusted for that 1° 15' change. That may be why I walk leaning to the left a little, bump into walls on my left side, and can't seem to stay focused with good direction. Or, maybe I am just a little tipsy. Maybe I should cut off an ear – no – that's been done... Anyway, it might be more difficult to hear the pain I cause my family.

My wife should be able to stay home. She is the homemaker. She is a brilliant homemaker while I am rather dull around the home. She is also a businesswoman. If she wants to work, I certainly won't stop her, but now she works 10 hours a night in Jerusalem and has only time for sleep and Shabbat.

I need to be working. In my field. Using my skills. Earning a reasonable wage for an experienced Telecom Design Engineer.

Or – maybe I just need to go to sleep now... Sure – that's it! I'll talk to you more later.