יש לתל-אביב רכבת תחתית / Tel-Aviv Has A Subway

י״ח לחודש השני (ל״ג בעומר) תשפ״ד

English follows the Hebrew.

פחות משנה יש לתל-אביב רכבת קלה תחתית. בשבוע שעבר אני הספקתי לנסוע בה. בקו הראשון (האדום) של מערכת הרכבת הקלה רק 10 מ-34 התחנות הן תחת קרקעיות. בתוך תל-אביב-יפו עצמה שש תחנות תחת קרקעיות ושש במשטח הכביש.

קוראים למערכת ״דנקל״ על שם האזור גוש דן שבו שבט דן התישב בתחילת כיבוש ארץ ישראל במנהיגות יהושע בן נון לפני כ-3,286 שנים. ״קל״ הוא מ״קלה״ של רכבת קלה.

Tel-Aviv has had a subway for less than a year. Last week, I finally had a chance to ride on it. Ten of the system's 34 stations are subterranean on the first light rail line, the red line, running through Greater Tel-Aviv. Within the Tel-Aviv-Yaffo Municipality itself, six are underground, and six are at street level.

The system is known as "Dankal," after the area of Greater Tel-Aviv "Gush Dan," the area which the Tribe of Dan settled after the initial conquering of the Canaanites, under the leadership of Yehoshua Bin-Nun (Josh.) aproximately 3,286 years ago. "Kal" is from qallah the "light" in light rail.

ביום שנסעתי ברכבת קלה קניתי חופשי יומי. מומלץ לבדוק אם כדאי לקנות.
On the day I rode the subway, I had a day pass. I recommend checking if its worth it on a given day.

הרכבת הקלה מתחילה מזרח לתל-אביב בפתח תקווה...
The light rail starts east of Tel-Aviv in Petah Tiqwah...

...מגיעה לת״א דרך בני ברק ורמת גן ואז נוסעת דרומה לבת ים.
...travels through B'nei Braq and Ramat Gan to Tel-Aviv, and then south to Bat Yam.

מפה חשמלית: נסעתי מרח׳ יהודית לרח׳ אלנבי.
Electronic Map: I rode from Yehudit St. to Allenby St.

(Click to enlarge / ללחוץ כדי להגדיל)

U. S. Voting Rights for Non-Citizens

ערב שבת קודש פר׳ וילך / שובה תשע״ט

Let me first remind all of you of what I have stated several times in the past: American elections are for entertainment purposes only.

That being said, this post will be short and sweet.

The short answer to the question is, of course...

There aren't any voting right for non-citizens, nor should there be.

It boggles the mind that there is even a drop of consideration for this by the average American citizen on the street. At least those globalists, who are "out" about their opinions and objectives, have an excuse, albeit a cockamamie one.

Do Americans have the right to vote in Canadian or Mexican elections?

Does and American registered to vote in Los Angeles County have the right to vote in San Diego County? Or in East Coast terms, should an American from New Jersey be allowed to vote in elections in New York City or Philadelphia?

No. Of course, not. This should be so obvious that I must assume it has already been mentioned countless times in American news and social mass media, which I mostly ignore.

So, how else can the U. S. government protect its elections from infiltration?

I have no idea. Not my problem.

It's the problem of Americans, and I am no longer an American citizen.
However, I will engage in some speculation, as a segue into something which I find to be much more important, Jews living in Israel.

I hardly like the idea of yet another piece of identification forced upon the populace. But, in the U. S. the photo-less Social Security Card won't cut it, and not everyone has a driver's license, nor do all non-drivers have a state identification card.

Here in Israel, we already have personal identity cards, so we're already use to it indoctrinated. Until not so long ago, our identity cards even included "nationality," ie. Jewish, Druze, Arab, and would have included the recently made up [neo-]Aramaen nationality as well. Nationality was removed as the Minister of the Interior at the time, Eli Yishai, an act of damage control, in response to the Israeli Supreme Court's acceptance of quasi-conversions for the purposes of determining nationality.

But, I digress...

Now we have biometric identity cards being phased in, under the guise of being "voluntary," initially voluntary that is, and "more convenient." More convenient for the Israeli Government to track us, that is. But, we're not allowed to talk about that. Apparently, our countrywide Rav Kav (transit card) doesn't quite cut it, when it comes to tracking our movements. Damn those anonymous Rav Kav's! And they aren't exactly even anonymous either.

But, I digress...

The real issue taking place in the U. S. has nothing to do with who can or cannot vote.

Oh sure, there is the illusion of an adversarial "nationalist vs. globalist" relationship being played out out by the Republicans and Democrats, with the masses stuck someplace in the middle. But, regardless of how the minions of their minions present themselves, the powers that be all want the same thing, control. And new and improved tracking is just a means to an end.

Stay tuned for embedded microchips,... for our "convenience," of course.

הסימן הנוסף של עולם ללא מזומן / Another Sign of a Cashless Society

כ"ט לחודש השלישי תשע"ח

אפשר לראות את המודעה הזת על האוטובוסים בירושלים. אני ללמדתי על זה בזכות מפת אוטובוס ירושלים (של אורן). מומלץ לעקוב!

סימו לב! מהיום (יום ו' 08.06.18), נהגי האוטובוסים של אגד בירולשים כבר לא מקבל מזומן בתשלום לנסיעות יחידות ללא רב קו (פרט לותיקים). הנהג כן ממשיך לקבל מזומן בתשלום על:
1. רב קו אנונימי
2. נסיעה יחידה לטעון ברב קו
3. נסיעה יחידה לטעון ברב קו

עשר אגורות (2¢):
אני כבר כתבתי על מעקב ממשלתי ועל הסיבוכים בקשר לאבידת הרב קו.

אין לי הרבה מה להוסיף, אלא שזה עוד סימן שכוחות השילטון מקדמים (לוחצים) אותנו לעולם חדש ללא מזומן, לא רק בארץ אלא גם בשאר מדינות העולם.הם כבר יכולים לעקוב מאחרינו וניטור רכישות במגוון דרכים: היסטורית שיחות טלפון, מצלמות אבטחה, ומערכת מיקום גלובלית למעקב; קופונים, תחרויות, כרטיסי אשראי, מועדונים, נקודות לניטור מזון (וכימיים שאנחנו גם אוכלים ושמים בסביבה שלנו).

כל האסטרטגיות (קומבינות) האלה הן כדי לשלוט יותר באוכלוסייה. ואין צריך לומר כדי לשלוט על האספקה של מתכות.

We're moving to a more secure and faster ride!
The driving is on me. Adding credit to a Rav Kav is on us.
In Jerusalem, we're advancing to a self-service transit card. 

You can see this poster now on buses in Jerusalem, but tip credit also goes to Jerusalem Bus Maps (Oren's Transit Page), a site to follow to keep up to date on Jerusalem public transportation.

Jerusalem Bus Maps reports:

HEADS UP! As of TODAY, Friday, June 8, bus drivers will no longer accept cash payments for single rides without a Rav Kav (except for senior citizens, who will still be able to buy a single ride with cash). The following will continue to be available for purchase from the driver on board the bus for the time being:
1. Anonymous Rav Kav card
2. Single ride (including ma'avar/transfer) to be loaded on a Rav Kav
3. Chofshi Yomi (daily pass) loaded on a Rav Kav

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
I have already written about government tracking and about the complications of losing a Rav Kav.

I don't have much to add, except that this is yet another sign of Israel's, and the rest of the world's, move toward a cashless society. It is about so much more than tracking movements, and monitoring purchases, which they can already do in a variety of ways: calling history, security cameras, and GPS for tracking; coupons, contests, credit cards, clubs, and points for monitoring food and chemical intake and usage.

It's all about increasing control over the masses, not to mention control over precious metals.

Losing Your Rav Kav

כ"א לחודש השנים עשר תשע"ה

The Rav Kav is Israel's version of an all purpose transit card. It can be loaded with up to eight different series of payment options, from a variety of different companies.

For example, if you live in Jerusalem, but work in Tel-Aviv, you can have your Jerusalem city bus and light rail pass encoded on the same card with your your round-trip tickets between the two cities, and your Tel-Aviv city bus pass. Then there is still room for five more passes or series tickets.

Sure, you can theoretically be tracked, but the system is convenient, right?

Well, there is a catch, or two.

I recently lost my Rav Kav. No problem. I'll just get a new one, right? It was even promised that since the computerized system keeps a record of what gets purchased and loaded into it, and would even be able to recover my monthly pass, lost along with it.

Not so fast.

I got my card replace from the Egged Bus Company easily enough. There was a line. But, they had five stations open to receive customers, and they were open until 7:00pm. So, there was no need to miss work. I was told the the remaining trip ticket I had on my pass would take a week to replace. OK. No big whoop.

Unfortunately, I had purchased my monthly pass at one of the light rail ticket machines. Sine the light rail is operated by Citypass, and not Egged, I had to get my replacement pass from Citypass, which, as I had anticipated, was only open from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and a few hours on Friday, making it a heck of a lot less convenient than dealing with Egged.

Like the last time I had to torture myself at the Citypass office in the Klal Building, I stood there for way too long, and not because there were a lot of other people there, either. There were three people working there, but only one seemed to be handling a customer at a time. It seems like there were some computer issues. So, maybe it was a fluke. Still, I did not understand why it took so long.

Finally, I reached the counter. The clerk recognized the print out I had received from Egged, already knew what I needed, and began to process it. That was a pleasant surprise. But, what was not a very pleasant surprise was that since I came in one day too late, I could not receive a replacement of my pass for the current month. Instead, I would have to wait until the next month, at which time I would still have to come in, in order to get my Rav Kav charged with the new pass.

Get it?

From now on, I think I will still with Egged for one-stop shopping, which I can do without leaving work early, or have to schlep in on a Friday.

Government Tracking: No More Free Pass in Israel!

י׳ לחודש השמיני תשע״ה

Israeli Law mandates that an employer pay some, if not all, of its employees' transportation costs. This translates into an employee living and working in the same city receiving a monthly bus pass. In Jerusalem, the pass includes light rail service. But, it is hardly free. The price is the reduction in privacy, as your whereabouts while on public transportation, can be monitored.

While for some of you, this is nothing new, it never hurts to attempt a wake up of those who are still unaware.

For the past few years in Israel, we have had the growth and development of the government’s ability to track the movement of its citizens. I have no indication whether the Israeli Government accesses its citizens' travel information. But, the potential is certainly there.

Rav Kav
with "chip"

The "Rav Kav," Hebrew for "multi-line," card can now be seen almost everywhere in Israel. Instead of printing out paper passes, tickets, and multi-ride punch cards, all you have to do is refill your plastic card with more rides, when you run out. Environmentally positive, right?

Some would say that this is a welcomed device, in addition to the highly theoretical reduction in paper. After all, the government can use this tracking system to monitor the movements of suspected terrorists and criminals.

C’mon! Do you really think a terrorist is going to bother using a Rav Kav? And even if he does, history tells us that he is on a one way trip! As far as plotters and planners of terrorist attacks go, you would think that they could afford  Sure, the “international community sees them as poor, helpless, and oppressed “freedom fighters.” But, the truth is that they are well funded, and well armed, either by Iranian-backed Hamas, or by Fatah’s “misplaced” funds received from donor countries, or from the co-dependent Israeli Government itself.

They can afford a non-discounted bus ride.

The back of an "Anonymous" Rav Kav
with a magnetic strip.

And, if you are like me, and do not believe that we need the government to protect us, as much as it wants us to think, then you will get stuck paying more (much more), using an “anonymous” Rav Kav. Bus and light rail monthly passes cannot be added to an “anonymous” Rav Kav, nor can multiple, discounted tickets for youth and seniors. Discounts on round-trips offered between cities are only available to those bearing a Rav Kav with photo identification.

So, if you are watching your budget, like most people in Israel, and all the world are, then the choosing the Rav Kav option, which includes your picture, name, and Israeli Identity Card number seems like it is worth its price. Not only that, but if you lose your Rav Kav, you have the added benefit of having the tickets and passes you had on your lose Rav Kav replaced. How helpful and convenient is that?

Most of us have bought into its “convenience” and “savings.”

Furthermore, if you choose the "anonymous" option, you will find that it might not be as anonymous as you thought. Each "anonymous" card is numbered, and you receive it in an office with surveillance cameras.

Do the math.