On being divided culturally

This bit by Herb Keinon in the Jerusalem Post really cracks me up:

It's an odd phenomenon, but Israelis often sound downright European in their tendency to see US culture as shallow and meaningless, and to view the US as incurably naive when it comes to the world. It's an attitude that says we - who live in the tough neighborhood - understand how things work; the Americans are hopelessly unsophisticated.

What you end up with, essentially, is Americans in Israel looking down at Israelis, and Israelis looking down on Americans. And one of the hidden beauties of being an American-Israeli is the ability to look down on both with equal measure. It's a great benefit, actually, and one that should be used by the Nefesh B'Nefesh folks to promote aliya.

"Come home, that way you can condescend not only toward Israelis, which you do in the States, but now toward Americans as well."

So long and thanks for the memories

I've just done something I've been planning for a while, though in the end it wasn't as easy to do as I thought it would be. I donated the first half of my SF book collection to the local library. As soon as I can pack and transport the second half, it too will be given away.

These books were the focus of my life for many of my teenage years (probably too much the focus). Needless to say, I read them all; most of them more than once and many of them numerous times.

The collection stopped being updated by around 1990. It included all of Larry Niven's works up to that point. All of Isaac Asimov's SF books. Many books by Robert A Heinlein. And hundreds of other SF (and a few fantasy) books as well.

I considered trying to sell them, though it seems that the amount of work involved to get a significant sum of money would be too great.

And actually I like the idea of the books being available at the local Modiin public library. I hope that many people find them and enjoy them as I had.