Put your money down

April 29, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Politics, War 

In most ‘normal’ countries, people have office pools or friendly bets about NFL Sunday, or the Red Sox-Yankees series. In Israel, there are pools about what date the government will fall.

Monday marks the publication date for the Winograd Committee’s interim report on the how government and military brass behaved before and during the Second Lebanon War last summer.

Olmert
One gone, two to go? – Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz, center, meet with former IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz

We already know that the report is going to come out with scathing conclusions about Olmert, and Peretz, and Halutz, and perhaps even the pita guy down the block for not keeping up with the fresh bread demand for those stuck for a month in bomb shelters.

But what’s on everyone’s mind – and in some wallets – is will any heads roll as a result of the report?

Associated of Olmert and Peretz say that no matter how hard the commission comes down on their conduct, they won’t quit -

But there are still plenty of folks willing to give decent odds that their days are numbered, and the good people of Israel will be going to the voting booths around the same time as they had off to the beach this summer.

Just for the sporting sake of it, put in you two cents here free of charge, and let us know not if you think there should be resignations (we don’t really care about your political opinions), but if you think there WILL be any resignations.

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Airport Bedlam

April 29, 2007 by · 1 Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Life 

Straight outta the movies:

Last week passengers, security personnel and anyone in the immediate vicinity of Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport experienced “Hell Day” when a few different dramatic scenarios simultaneously unfolded.

First, airport workers went on strike late in the day i.e. a walkout. Flights were delayed.

At the same time, security agents found knives hidden inside a DVD case inside a bag. Suspicions sufficiently aroused, the airport went into emergency mode and dozens of police swarmed the plane corresponding to the bag (a Tel Aviv to Moscow flight).

Turns out the knives belonged to a visiting dance troupe who use them in their act. They hid them so they wouldn’t have to undergo rigorous security interrogation. Brill.

But wait. There’s more. When a young man carrying a “hash stash” saw the frantic security agents running to and fro, he assumed the worst: “They were tipped off! They’re onto me!” (that stuff’ll make you paranoid, man!)

So he dumped the bag. Airport security thought the bag contained explosives and so cleared out the entire terminal.

Wow. Talk about a rough day on the job.

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Surf’s Up

April 29, 2007 by · 2 Comments
Filed under: Life, Sports 


I love living in Tel Aviv because I’m a ten minute bicycle ride from the Mediterranean.

And that makes me happy because I love water. Always have. In high school, university and thereafter I’ve remained in close proximity to swimming pools, lakes, rivers, seas and oceans by way of lifeguarding, swim instruction, competitive swimming, SCUBA diving, sailing, boating and… you name it. Water related? I’m game.

Which is why my latest endeavor – learning windsurfing off of Tel Aviv’s coast – is a natural progression. Why blog it here? Because I believe in sharing. And I’m here to encourage anyone who has considered taking up this particular sport to g’head and get thineself to the beach. It’s good stuff.

Because…

- The Mediterranean waters off this coast are temperate – even in winter the chill is marginal so a 3-5 MM wetsuit does the insulation trick.
- The combination of sea, sun & wind is invigorating
- The skill of maintaining balance versus gauging wind direction versus sail maneuvering is physically challenging (Oy, my aching arm and back muscles)
- The risk is minimal compared with standard surfing or scuba diving or parachuting
- “A bad day in the water is better than a good day at work”

And last but not least, the price is right. The club I’m hitting charges $275 for four 2-hour lessons which includes gear and wetsuit. When lessons end, a $250, 10-pass card rents board and sail for an hour each go. What a bargain.

Schoingemacht. I feel like I’m plugging for Israel’s tourism ministry.

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Nostalgia Sunday

April 29, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: History and Culture, Israeliness, Life 

This is so…so…oh I dunno…so…??? It’s painful, that’s what. The outfits, the music and the stunningly intricate lyrics.

Okay. Enough. Enjoy or cringe. Happy Sunday.

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Building Bridges

April 29, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Blogging, Politics, Profiles 

Israeli Mom has been blogging lately about her Egyptian guest Khaled who recently traveled to Israel for a first-time visit.

The two met “virtually” via MEtalks.com, a Middle East communication forum to get people talking and exchanging ideas. Last week they met in the flesh when Khaled flew into town.

A Belgium-based journalist, he posted his impressions of travels and experiences: smoking a nargeela in an East Jerusalem cafe, joining the crowds at an outdoor Independence Day celebration, checking out the Wahat Al Salaam/Neve Shalom (Oasis of Peace) Village, speaking with Palestinians in Ramallah…

Much of Khaled’s impressions and writings are steeped in predisposition. But the effort in coming to Israel and establishing a dialogue with colleagues is noteworthy. An excerpt from one of his entries:

…you can imagine how bizarre and surreal it felt to find myself coming down to breakfast in an authentic Israeli Zionist household! This weirdness was accentuated by the fact that it wasn’t so weird – that once you move beyond the conflict, you notice how they are just folk like us, as the Americans would say.

In Israel, they like to say that whenever you bring two Jews together, they will have three opinions. Well, after some empirical observation, I have come to the conclusion that if you throw an Arab or two into this mix, you’re guaranteed hours of political debate for the whole family.

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