Tariffs are not part of the problem. They are only paid on imported items and Israel's general limit is 10%. Of course, we also pay 18% VAT on all purchases, including domestically-produced items, but I can't see where adding 18% to the price of an ordinary ballpoint pen would make it too expensive for my HMO to supply it to its opthamologists.

The vision requirements for a Class B Israeli driver license are online:

"Eyesight: 6/12 in at least one eye, horizontal field of view no less than 120 degrees in both eyes combined. Use of eyeglasses or contact lenses is permitted."

I do have to wonder whether an optometrist or ophthalmologist can verify that one has at least 120 degrees of horizontal vision just by moving a pen -- but I do not have the expertise to say one way or the other.

I suspect that this optometrist used the Yihyeh Beseder*screening method.

Yihyeh Beseder = It’ll be ok

Dovster , I expect that this is not the first time that you've renewed your Israeli driver license. How was your peripheral vision tested in the past? Or is the peripheral-vision test a relatively new requirement?

I've traveled many times to LA during the drive by shooting. I wasn't nervous.
I've been to Israel when the air was so thick with tension we should have been nervous. We weren't.
I'm a New Yorker and some might suggest I should be nervous. I'm not.

There's a long running post on a Facebook page (long running joke about X city) 'is it safe'? :D

If anyone is a worrier, stay home. Never travel. You could get hit by a car or your plane may crash. I don't live my life that way.

I really do not remember. Just about a year ago I has a serious medical condition, spent about a week in the hospital for treatment, and was put on a heavy diet of antibiotics. The combination messed up my mind, I had very heavy brain fog for several more months, and while I have mostly recovered my memory (especially short-term memory) is getting better but still not at top grade.

Thank you for the updates. Hope your driving goes ok.

I really hope you're gets better soon. Please take care of yourself. Hope your memory will be okay. I have a memory problem about Jennifer Driggers. I still dreaming about her everyday and I have go back in time. I can bring her back alive. I haven't seen her for more than three decades now. I still love her so much. When I was a kid.

im sorry for the loss of your friend. It’s so hard when our friends die especially when they died young. Grief counseling was helpful for me - I miss my friends and I don’t have unfair dreams about being able to save them.

0250am wake up to sirens
In and out of the shelter 2x as we tried to figure out what’s going on
We went to bed around 0430 and woke up 0800 to a call from my father
As of now 0900 several hundred suicide drones are en route eta 1330-1430 which will likely be accompanied by cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to try to overwhelm the defense systems.

As of now, Tel Aviv is VERY quiet and I am at city center. We are back home but the underground parking garage / shelter is just across the street. Likely we head back to the shelter a bit after noon and spend some time down there in the hot garage.

Stay safe my friends.

You, I, and everyone else in Israel heard the sirens at the same time. I immediately phoned my children to make certain that they went to shelters.

Those rockets earlier - were they close to you @dovster ?

Whole of the country went under alert right before Iran's Supreme Leader started his televised address.

I received a Home Front order to go into a shelter and stayed for about an hour before being told I could go out. I do not, however, believe that any rockets landed near me.

1:05 am: I was woken up by a message from the Home Front Command telling me, "In the next few minutes alerts are expected in your area. If an alert is received, enter your protected space and stay there until further notice".
7 minutes later I received the notice that there is "rocket and missile fire in my area and I have to go my "protected space". I rolled out of bed, went there, heard an explosion (I don't know where the thing landed) and a few mlinutes later was told I could leave the shelter, but to stay near by it.

I am going back to sleep now. Please tell Iran not to disturb me again tonight.

A bit more intense here in Tel Aviv but similar. I think it was around 15 minutes underground for this last one.

Our daughter is back asleep but both wife and I are struggling to relax and get back down.

In the last day, I’ve had 3 hours of sleep and 2x naps around 30 min each. Hoping we can get some zzz.