Israel’s Crazy Clocks
I am a great believer in that you put the clocks forward in the summer to gain the greatest economic advantage to as many people as possible.
For instance, in the UK, I’d like to see us go to the same time as most of the EU. Not only would it make it easier for business and travel with the continent, but it would also give us longer leisure evenings for a greater period of the year, so perhaps outdoor activities would benefit. Horse racing would be able to stage many more evening meetings, which properly handled might create a lot of new jobs. But there are lots of other examples.
So what are the Israelis doing. They’re moving the date the clocks go back forward to fit in with religious groups, who have a strong hold in the Knesset. According to The Independent, it’s not very popular. Even the Jewish Chronicle reports that Israelis are angry.
In the report in the Jewish Chronicle this is said.
A campaign against the early end to summertime is being spearheaded by Dr Shimon Eckhouse, chairman of Nasdaq-traded medical device company Syneron. He also wants to adopt the EU norm and has collected over 90,000 signatories on a petition.
Starting winter time before the end of October “will shorten quality time that parents have with their children, increase the chance of road accidents and cost the Israeli economy millions of shekels”, he said.
There are estimates that the 48 days between September 12, when Israel changes its clocks, and October 31, when the UK and the rest of Europe change their clocks, will cost Israel £4.6 million in higher electricity consumption.
“The only reason to end summertime early is because it supposedly shortens the fast on Yom Kippur,” Dr Eckhouse added. “This is warped because either way the fast continues for 25 hours. I am a Jew who observes tradition and fasts on Yom Kippur.”
Let’s hope Dr. Eckhouse’s reasoned approach succeeds. If nothing because it is better for global warming.
Job Interview – Palestinian Style
My next door neighbour years ago had been a Colonel in the British Army. One of his duties had been to enforce the British mandate in Palestine before the Second World War. I remembering him saying that he got on well with both the Jews and the Arabs and in many cases the only way to tell them apart was by their name. He didn’t like Menachem Begin, but I don’t suspect I would not have, if he tried to kill you with a bomb in the King David Hotel.
What has happened since has been a tragedy for both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
I can remember the Six Day War of 1967, where nearly everybody had sympathies for little Israel, who was being threatened by their much larger neighbours. But since then we’ve all had more sympathy for the Palestinians, as the Israelis and the corrupt Palestinian leaders have driven them further and further into abject poverty. I will not aportion blame between the two sets of leaders, but feel that if they’d talked and cooperated, they all might be in a better state.
And now we have this sex scandal in Hamas. And for a bit of balance, the assassination of one their leaders. One is for the tabloids and the other for the serious papers.
If both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict behaved with dignity and compassion, and perhaps admitted sometimes that they were wrong, we might find a solution. But then they all believe it’s so much more satisfying to reach for their weapons.
Weapons rarely solve a problem, but they can make it a whole lot worse!
The Anonymous Widower 