Greetings and salutations!

Yes; I do realize that it has been more than a month since my last post. However, if I can make (roughly) one post a month, I’m fairly satisfied with that. One has to consider the average size and breadth of scope of one of my posts – I think some delay is then justified. Anyway with new posts come new pictures! I have updated my Japan 2006 album on Picasa Web and you can still catch all my old photos on Snapfish (you can login with bogus info). Look for the links on the left as well.

In our media mad world there’s simply way too much to comment on these days so I’m going to focus in on a few things. There has been lots of interesting news bits lately and lots of stuff going on personally so we may be jumping around a bit – you have been warned :0) Be sure to check out some of the big news that’s going on with me presently re: Israel and such (see below)! On a somber, Canadian note, I was tremendously sad to hear of the recent shooting at a Montreal university and its evocation of the tragedy of Ecole polytechnique.

Right off the bat I want to send out my condolences to the family of the recently deceased Steve Irwin (aka The Crocodile Hunter). Of course, the 5th anniversary of September 11th (login required) has just passed and I think it is incumbent on all of us to grieve with the rest of America over this tragedy, regardless of your political leanings. I also send out condolences to the congregation at UChurch over the recent passing of Reta Hutchinson.

But enough of sadness; let’s move on!

Of Japan

In Japan related news, I successfully passed my probation period @ Nova so I’m a full on regular instructor now. In fact, they have already thrown me into Weak-Point and Kids training so I’m well on my way to being an expert. In a bit of a rehash of what I wrote previously, I work in the Multimedia Centre in Osaka - so I work with 400 other instructors over a V2OIP (voice/video over internet protocol) conferencing system. My classes consist of 1-3 students from anywhere in Japan and of any age (4-74). They are classified by ability into one of 10+ levels. I teach 8 lessons a day and a lesson is 40 minutes long - it can certainly become somewhat mundane but the variety is in all the different students and how you approach the lesson - and I work with a bunch of cool people.

On a more national level, much like the passing of once popular premier Ralph Klein in Alberta, we are witnessing the retirement of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi who has governed Japan (rather successfully IMO) for the last 5 years. In other news – Imperial Princess Kiko has just given birth to a boy, putting to rest the growing debate over succession. In much sadder news, several Japanese executives were arrested recently for illegally distributing 3-Dimensional measuring devices, required for the development of nuclear weapons, on the black market through Libya and Iran. Things like this and the thwarted terrorist attempt in the UK remind us that we are far from an ideal world and the picture does not look to be a positive one looking ahead.

Personally, as far as Japan goes, I don’t have a whole lot to add. Do I continue to enjoy my time in Japan? Certainly; Do I ever feel lonely? Naturally; For the most part, however, everything continues to go quite well. I am very excited about my upcoming Tokyo trip in particular, especially considering the demise of E3. You can find much more on my personal news later on. The main reason you’re not reading about exotic locales and exciting goings-on, as you do when I’m in Israel, is two-fold. For starters, my passion for Israel is unique; therefore one cannot expect similar behaviors relating to other locations.

Secondly, unlike the time I spent in Israel and as I explained previously, I live a very routine, very normal life in Japan which was the idea from the outset. One of my trainers told me that you end up living AT your job rather than IN Japan – hopefully I can find some ways to avoid that trap. So hopefully that gives you a clearer perspective on the issue. By the way, I was amused to discover that Canada is known as the honeymoon capital to traveling Chinese. The Toronto/Banff/Vancouver tour, in particular, is immensely popular!

Of Betas and New Toys

Every so often I have to remind myself that I am a bit of a technophile. These days, I am running a lot of Microsoft beta software. My recent beta list includes:

• MS Windows Live Mail (Formerly Hotmail) & Live Mail Desktop
• MS Windows Media Player 11
• MS Windows Live Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger)
• MS Windows Live Search & Windows Defender
• MS Office 2007
• Google Picasa 2 Web Ed. & Google Earth 4 – Click HERE to find my apartment on Google Earth or HERE to see a picture of the satellite image.

All are running fine but I had to ditch Media Player 11 because it would crash when I was trying to watch videos on Comedy Central and I bailed on Office 2007. It was really cool but some of the previous features were completely buried in the new interface. Up next is the Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 – wish me luck! In other news, Microsoft has unveiled its iTunes challenger, the Zune, and to all you Mac lovers out there, suck on this . That’s it on the tech front. There is a TON of cool movie news I would love to talk about but this post is already way too bloody big!

The Real News – Of Israel and the Stuff That Actually Matters Right Now

I know I am completely teasing you all by holding off on the big announcements but, with all the goings-on in the Middle East (ME) of late, I really wanted to comment on some of the bigger issues. Actually, in many ways I had grown tired of discussing such affairs. The never-ending debates held far less appeal than the safety of friends and loved ones. Now that some form of calm has been restored in the area, I find myself motivated enough to dig into the chaos once again.

I want to start off by listing a few links and reminding everyone that, while I continue to support Israel, I do not exclusively side with any single party in the ongoing conflict. As always, take any of these materials with discretion and discernment:

• Watch a rocket hit a northern Israeli neighborhood as it happens here
• Watch an Arab woman put the ongoing conflict into perspective (on Al Jazeera no less) here
• Read about a Hamas spokesman examining the shares of blame here (login required)
• Watch a report on photo fraud by major media outlets in the conflict here and here
• Watch a report on the cycle of hate taught in Palestinian schools here.

Next I want to post some statistics that have come out since the cease-fire was announced (valid only up to that point). Obviously the numbers would be much higher for Lebanon and if I come across some verifiable statistics for the Lebanese (or someone passes some onto me) I will certainly post them:

• 43 Israeli civilians were killed by Hezbollah rocket fire
• 116 Israeli soldiers and officers were killed
• 3,970 rockets were fired at Israel, 901 of them hit urban areas
• 4,262 civilians were treated in hospitals for injuries
• 6,000 Israeli private homes were damaged
• 300,000 Israelis were forced to flee
• Over 1,000,000 Israelis were forced to spend a month in bomb shelters
• One third of the population of Israel was directly exposed to the missile threat
• Over $1,400,000,000 is estimated to be the direct economic loss to the Israeli economy.

I also want to reacquaint people with some of the historical realities relevant to this long standing conflict:

• Israel became a state in 1312 BC, two millennia before the rise of Islam
• Arab refugees from Israel began calling themselves "Palestinians" in 1967, two decades after (modern) Israeli statehood
• After conquering the land in 1272 BC, Jews ruled it for a thousand years and maintained a continuous presence there for 3,300 years. The only Arab rule following conquest in 633 BC lasted just 22 years
• For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem was the Jewish capital. It was never the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even under Jordanian rule, (east) Jerusalem was not made the capital, and no Arab leader came to visit it
• Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Bible, but not once is it mentioned in the Qur'an. King David founded Jerusalem; Mohammed likely never set foot in it
• Jews pray facing Jerusalem; Muslims face Mecca
• In 1948, Arab leaders urged their people to leave, promising to cleanse the land of Jewish presence. 68% of them fled without ever setting eyes on an Israeli soldier
• Virtually the entire Jewish population of Muslim countries had to flee as the result of violence and pogroms. Some 630,000 Arabs left Israel in 1948 and close to a million Jews were forced to leave the Muslim countries
• In spite of the vast territories at their disposal, Arab refugees were deliberately prevented from assimilating into their host countries. Of 100 million refugees following World War 2, they are the only group to have never integrated with their coreligionists. Most of the Jewish refugees from Europe and Arab lands were settled in Israel, a country no larger than New Jersey
• There are 22 Muslim countries, not counting Palestine. There is only one Jewish state and it is the single democratic state in the Middle East
• Arabs started all five wars against Israel, and lost every one of them. While peace treaties have been signed with Egypt and Jordan, Fatah and Hamas constitutions still call for the destruction of Israel
• Israel ceded most of the West Bank and all of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, and even continues to provide it with power, water, sewage, and other utilities
• During the Jordanian occupation, Jewish holy sites were vandalized and were off limits to Jews. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian holy sites are accessible to all faiths
• Out of 175 United Nations Security Council resolutions up to 1990, 97 were against Israel; out of 690 General Assembly resolutions, 429 were against Israel
• The UN was silent when the Jordanians destroyed 58 synagogues in the old city of Jerusalem. It remained silent while Jordan systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the mount of olives, and when Jordan enforced apartheid laws preventing Jews from accessing the temple mount and western wall.

In my opinion, while Israel is a sovereign state with the right and responsibility to defend itself, the recent chaos in Lebanon was a poor decision. Yes there needed to be a strong response to rocket attacks, yes the kidnapping of the IDF soldiers by Hezbollah was entirely unprovoked, yes Hezbollah actively put civilians in danger purposefully – but the incredibly violent response by Israel played right into the hands of its enemies. It made them look bad on the world stage, it made them look like a puppet of the US performing a dress rehearsal for an invasion of Iran and using US supplied cluster bombs. It cost Israel a lot more than they thought it would and ultimately accomplished little other than destroying most of Lebanon. The soldiers were not recovered and Hezbollah was not defeated. There is, however, some good news.

If the chaos finally prompted the UN to pull its head out of its ass and commit a strong international force with a clear mandate, that is good. If it showed the Arab world that Israel will not take terrorism lying down, that is good. If the conflict exposed any links between Lebanon, Syria, Iran, etc. that is good. If those opposed to war on both sides rose to protest in unity for peace that is good. If a broader evaluation of international policy in regard to the ME takes place that is good. If Lebanon actually participates in disarming Hezbollah, that is good. If the nature of reporting on the conflict shows the pathetic state of international news media, that is good.

Everyone gripes about terror groups going into politics but that should actually be what everyone hopes for! Hate, pride and extreme ideologies (on either side) are not going to fade away and it’s much better to have the voices spoken openly in a political forum that on the streets behind the barrel of a gun. No one could have imagined the IRA in Northern Ireland disarming, and look where they’re at today. Let us hope the same can happen in the ME. More encouragement comes with the news of a new unity government between Fatah and Hamas in Palestine; small steps maybe, but steps at the very least.

Of the REAL Update!

Two concepts have really started forming in my mind recently. The first involves how incredible it is that a long series of seemingly random or disconnected events/decisions can come together to form an amazing picture! The second is that there is nothing more simultaneously exciting and daunting than finally approaching a future you’ve been watching for a long time.

For those who know me well, you know that I have had a desire for Israel for many years, since childhood I believe. You know that I first traveled there in the summer of 2003 (check the archives for my blogs of the experience) and again in the winter of 2005. You know that I have become linked to the land and the people in it and that I have been trying exhaustively to relocate there on a more permanent basis.

When I was last in Israel I had a number of interviews and several job offers. Getting a job offer is not the hard part. Getting a work visa, however, is an entirely different matter. Current Israeli immigration policy makes it nearly impossible for a goyim/gentile (non-Jew) to get a working visa. I was literally laughed off when I first visited the Ministry of the Interior in Tel Aviv. Considering the state of things in Israel, you think they’d have a much more open policy to encourage immigration. Anyway, most of the company representatives I spoke to were either unaware of the stringent requirements for hiring foreign workers, or unwilling to deal with them. Admittedly, the barriers are high and employers do take on a large responsibility involving a certain amount of risk in sponsoring a work visa application.

However, at long last, there has been somewhat of a breakthrough! For the last month I have been in discussions with a technical documentation firm in Akko which is willing to go through the process! I am in discussions with company representatives regarding an employment agreement and with their lawyers regarding the visa process. This is the furthest progress I have yet to make in my dream of living in Israel and it is tremendously exciting. The barriers are still high – agreements must be reached, the visa process alone will cost me nearly $4,000 initially and renewals must be made each year. And present policy only allows foreign workers to stay in the country for a maximum of 5 years! While these obstacles do seem formidable, and while it might be easy to despair, I have faith that the right doors will be opened and that good things come to those who wait!

This is not the only life altering decision I am facing at present. A relationship that continues to play an important role in my life, one that is linked to both Israel and Japan, has re-emerged in my life. I have made the mistake in the past of broadcasting details of my love life online before, so I’m going to avoid going into them now. But those of you who know a little more of the story can imagine what might be happening. As far as I’m concerned, this all goes back to that first concept I mentioned about seemingly disconnected things coming together. I came to Japan as part of an ongoing development in my life, and now it is unfolding before my eyes.

To those who have supported me in prayer or in any other way, I thank you. I also ask for your continued support as these significant scenarios play out. I need the faithful support of my friends, colleagues, and family now very much, as I may have to make some major decisions in the immediate future. Top prayer points at this stage are:

• That the doors would open for the job and the visa and that I would have the strength to walk through them
• That the practical and financial concerns will be solved
• That the role of loved ones in this journey would be clarified
• That God's will be done in His timing.

So that’s it; that’s the latest….consider yourself informed *S* I have nothing further to say at this time though I look forward to hearing from you as well as to sharing ongoing developments. Other than that I have only this to add for those to whom it is relevant -
Vote Robert Wexler for Congress! :0)

With Hope,
Joseph

Crocodile Hunter | Peace in the Middle East | Windows Live