Sorry, haven't written much lately.
What's new? I've signed my contract with Luz and am happy to work there.
It takes me around an hour to get there in the morning so I'd like to by a small motorbike to go to work and get around Jerusalem and it surroundings. I would like to get a Honda Innova for old times' (read: Cambodia) sake but it's not available here, in Israel, so I may turn to the equivalent of an SH 125i from Kymco or Sym, the two brands from Taiwan available here which are one third cheaper than the equivalent Honda.
April 30, 2007
April 24, 2007
Queen Elizabeth II sets the example
According to Agence France Press, Queen Elizabeth II will offset the carbon dioxide emissions of her visit to the United States:
I hope Her Majesty sets an example that everyone will follow.
[... C]arbon emissions [of Queen Elizabeth II's] flights to, from and within the United States will be offset for the first time. Exact figures were still being worked out, [a] spokeswoman said.
Carbon offsetting involves individuals or organisations compensating for the amount of carbon dioxide generated through travel and energy use through for example financial donations to environmentally-friendly projects such as tree-planting.
The move comes after the queen's son and heir, Prince Charles, announced in December last year that he was to reduce the impact of overseas royal visits on the environment by "greening" his transport and the way his office is run.
That included replacing carbon-heavy private planes and helicopters with scheduled flights and trains "where appropriate."
I hope Her Majesty sets an example that everyone will follow.
Luz 2
The company I started working for yesterday is called Luz 2. Today Luz 2 is a small company (under 30 employees) but there's a lot of hope for growth. The company is developing a type of power plants using solar energy.
It was important for me to work in renewable energies which I consider an all-important and fascinating challenge. There are many sources of renewable energy on earth: wind, biomass, tide, geothermal... and the one we are trying to harness: solar.
Solar energy comes to the Earth in the form of light. It can be transformed very easily into heat: any black surface does just that. But generating electricity from solar energy is tricky. Photovoltaic cells are one possibility. The other possibility is to use the sun's as the source of heat in "traditional" power plants, instead of burning oil, coal or gas. The problem is to concentrate the sun's energy and transfer it to a fluid. The first Luz company pioneered a design called "parabolic troughs" which was very successful and is still the leading technology today. The Luz 2 company bets on improving an other design called "solar power tower": a field of heliostats concentrating light on a central receiver. Prototypes have been built before (Solar One/Two, Themis) a competing commercial project is underway Solar Tres. Wish us luck!
Additional reading:
A good introduction to the history of Luz & Luz 2 in relation with the California electricity market.
An interview with Arnold Goldman, founder of Luz and Luz 2. According to this interview, for those who wonder, Luz refers to the place where Jacob had his dream (Genesis 28, 12-22)...
It was important for me to work in renewable energies which I consider an all-important and fascinating challenge. There are many sources of renewable energy on earth: wind, biomass, tide, geothermal... and the one we are trying to harness: solar.
Solar energy comes to the Earth in the form of light. It can be transformed very easily into heat: any black surface does just that. But generating electricity from solar energy is tricky. Photovoltaic cells are one possibility. The other possibility is to use the sun's as the source of heat in "traditional" power plants, instead of burning oil, coal or gas. The problem is to concentrate the sun's energy and transfer it to a fluid. The first Luz company pioneered a design called "parabolic troughs" which was very successful and is still the leading technology today. The Luz 2 company bets on improving an other design called "solar power tower": a field of heliostats concentrating light on a central receiver. Prototypes have been built before (Solar One/Two, Themis) a competing commercial project is underway Solar Tres. Wish us luck!
Additional reading:
A good introduction to the history of Luz & Luz 2 in relation with the California electricity market.
An interview with Arnold Goldman, founder of Luz and Luz 2. According to this interview, for those who wonder, Luz refers to the place where Jacob had his dream (Genesis 28, 12-22)...
Student strike
"I just wanted to study" says the young prostitute on the poster.
"Dad, I need money. - Yah, what do you want? 10, 20... 30? - Yes, 30... 30,000 Shekels to pay for my studies."
On my last day of vacation, last week, I was strolling Ben Yehuda street. The students were demonstrating (against the rise of the tuition fees). To convey the idea that the fees are beyond reach, they were playing music and performing, asking people not to drop coins, because "what are 10 shekels when the fees reach 30,000 shekels?"
A choir trains singing Bach, among them a blind woman. A haredi passes by begging for some change. What does the press photographer do? He rushes to take 20 snaps of this scene. In his (little) head flashes a vision: the caption "Students demonstrating in Jerusalem" under his (great) picture, full of "constrasts", on the front page of a newspaper - and his bank account credited.
A group of 4 recorder players plays baroque music.
Classical danse exercises.
A russian violinist plays Bach - he is not a student and he does appreciate the change one drops in his instrument's case.
"Dad, I need money. - Yah, what do you want? 10, 20... 30? - Yes, 30... 30,000 Shekels to pay for my studies."
On my last day of vacation, last week, I was strolling Ben Yehuda street. The students were demonstrating (against the rise of the tuition fees). To convey the idea that the fees are beyond reach, they were playing music and performing, asking people not to drop coins, because "what are 10 shekels when the fees reach 30,000 shekels?"
A choir trains singing Bach, among them a blind woman. A haredi passes by begging for some change. What does the press photographer do? He rushes to take 20 snaps of this scene. In his (little) head flashes a vision: the caption "Students demonstrating in Jerusalem" under his (great) picture, full of "constrasts", on the front page of a newspaper - and his bank account credited.
A group of 4 recorder players plays baroque music.
Classical danse exercises.
A russian violinist plays Bach - he is not a student and he does appreciate the change one drops in his instrument's case.
April 15, 2007
Narratives
I read David Brooks' op-ed column of April 8th and thought: "He's right, there is a huge divide between the Americans/Israel and the Arab/Muslim world. It's very depressing. So what shall we do about it?"
Barnett Rubin has a good analysis of David Brooks' opinion explaining how self-centered and unproductive it is. Rubin's conclusion, "David Brooks predicts a "war over narratives." We don't need to fight this war. We need to listen." is made much concrete by his suggestions (negotiating with the Arab states under Saudi Arabia's initiative and negotiatingwith Hamas).
These subjects keep me awake much too late, I should be in bed long ago.
Correction: Apparently, the area I live in should be referred to as "Old Katamon" rather than "Katamon" which is on the other side of the road and "much less nice".
Barnett Rubin has a good analysis of David Brooks' opinion explaining how self-centered and unproductive it is. Rubin's conclusion, "David Brooks predicts a "war over narratives." We don't need to fight this war. We need to listen." is made much concrete by his suggestions (negotiating with the Arab states under Saudi Arabia's initiative and negotiatingwith Hamas).
These subjects keep me awake much too late, I should be in bed long ago.
Correction: Apparently, the area I live in should be referred to as "Old Katamon" rather than "Katamon" which is on the other side of the road and "much less nice".
April 12, 2007
Israeli administration
Yesterday, I had the invaluable opportunity to experience the procedures of the Ministry of Interior.
Over the week of Passover, I had been thinking over and over about my status and how to best change it in order to be able to start working. I was so frustrated because nothing could be done during the holiday!
I consulted the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, first thing Tuesday morning. From the interview with the counselor and from what I had read about the various statuses I came to the conclusion that the best for me was to become a Temporary Resident, which I am entitled to under the Law of Return.
Wednesday morning, I went to the Ministry of Interior before 8am. When I said I was coming to change my status to that of Temporary Resident (A-1) they gave me an appointment for... next month. Four full weeks from now. Why such a delay? No reason is given and no discussion is possible.
I am really in a hurry to start working (I almost became crazy doing nothing for a week, how would I wait for four weeks only to have the first appointment in a longer process?) so I stayed around until I could speak to the manager who told me: "An A-1, that's not good for you. Get a B-1!"
Again, why do they discourage people from requesting the A-1? I don't know. Anyway, B-1 is the "Working tourist" status. It's not exactly what I wanted because it involves paying for health insurance by myself, it is valid only 6 months and doesn't give me an Israeli ID so the contract with the company has to be rewritten. Never thwart an administration if you want to get something from them. If they look eager to give me a B-1 I'll take a B-1 for starters!
The procedure involved getting a letter from the Jewish Agency for the Ministry of Interior, which they gave me quickly after checking my "certificate of Jewishness", going back to the Ministry of Interior, filling the form, supplying a letter from the company and a certificate of health insurance. These two documents I had not brought because they were not required for an A-1 so I had to return to the Ministry today.
This morning, the B-1 visa was stamped in my passport, I can work legally here for 6 months!
Globally the process can be viewed as efficient. I got the work permit in 25 hours and 11 minutes (I arrived at the Ministry yesterday morning at 0745 and the visa was stamped today at 0856). But I was quite hopeless at first as they were about as welcoming to my request for an A-1 as a prison gate (French: aimable comme une porte de prison) and I continued to be very stressed at the idea that I was at their mercy all the time until I got the visa.
Dealing with the administration is a matter of humility, politeness, not giving up easily and not rubbing them in the wrong way (French: caresser dans le sens du poil)...
Initially I wanted, as a principle, to avoid having to resort to the Law of Return, and in fact avoid having at all to use the fact that I'm Jewish. But in practice it was not possible. If I get the A-1 it will be under the Law of Return which to applies to me as a Jew. Getting the B-1 is theoretically possible for non-Jews but it was clear that if I wanted the visa within a reasonable time, I needed the letter from the Jewish Agency and therefore the certificate of Jewishness. "People are not always as bad as their principles", my father says. I would say that "Principles are good,
but some flexibility in applying them is necessary"...
I'll write on the company and the job as soon as I sign the contract!
Over the week of Passover, I had been thinking over and over about my status and how to best change it in order to be able to start working. I was so frustrated because nothing could be done during the holiday!
I consulted the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, first thing Tuesday morning. From the interview with the counselor and from what I had read about the various statuses I came to the conclusion that the best for me was to become a Temporary Resident, which I am entitled to under the Law of Return.
Wednesday morning, I went to the Ministry of Interior before 8am. When I said I was coming to change my status to that of Temporary Resident (A-1) they gave me an appointment for... next month. Four full weeks from now. Why such a delay? No reason is given and no discussion is possible.
I am really in a hurry to start working (I almost became crazy doing nothing for a week, how would I wait for four weeks only to have the first appointment in a longer process?) so I stayed around until I could speak to the manager who told me: "An A-1, that's not good for you. Get a B-1!"
Again, why do they discourage people from requesting the A-1? I don't know. Anyway, B-1 is the "Working tourist" status. It's not exactly what I wanted because it involves paying for health insurance by myself, it is valid only 6 months and doesn't give me an Israeli ID so the contract with the company has to be rewritten. Never thwart an administration if you want to get something from them. If they look eager to give me a B-1 I'll take a B-1 for starters!
The procedure involved getting a letter from the Jewish Agency for the Ministry of Interior, which they gave me quickly after checking my "certificate of Jewishness", going back to the Ministry of Interior, filling the form, supplying a letter from the company and a certificate of health insurance. These two documents I had not brought because they were not required for an A-1 so I had to return to the Ministry today.
This morning, the B-1 visa was stamped in my passport, I can work legally here for 6 months!
Globally the process can be viewed as efficient. I got the work permit in 25 hours and 11 minutes (I arrived at the Ministry yesterday morning at 0745 and the visa was stamped today at 0856). But I was quite hopeless at first as they were about as welcoming to my request for an A-1 as a prison gate (French: aimable comme une porte de prison) and I continued to be very stressed at the idea that I was at their mercy all the time until I got the visa.
Dealing with the administration is a matter of humility, politeness, not giving up easily and not rubbing them in the wrong way (French: caresser dans le sens du poil)...
Initially I wanted, as a principle, to avoid having to resort to the Law of Return, and in fact avoid having at all to use the fact that I'm Jewish. But in practice it was not possible. If I get the A-1 it will be under the Law of Return which to applies to me as a Jew. Getting the B-1 is theoretically possible for non-Jews but it was clear that if I wanted the visa within a reasonable time, I needed the letter from the Jewish Agency and therefore the certificate of Jewishness. "People are not always as bad as their principles", my father says. I would say that "Principles are good,
but some flexibility in applying them is necessary"...
I'll write on the company and the job as soon as I sign the contract!
Massada: a picture
Not long after arriving in the country I went for a short trip to the Neguev, Eilat and the Massada. I met by chance two friends from France there, at the top of the fortress-hill. There's the result!
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