Nostalgia Sunday – Bye-bye to butts
Filed under: Business, Environment, General, health, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Nostalgia Sunday, Politics, Pop Culture
Well, it’s about time. While at their special David’s Tower meeting today, the Cabinet approved the establishment of a Health Ministry unit to combat the damages of smoking.
The goal, according to a Government Press Office release, “is to determine directives to improve the public’s protection against coerced exposure to smoking. To this end, the law against smoking in public places will be amended. The advertising and marketing of tobacco products will also be restricted.”
The move put Dubek, Israel’s sole manufacturer of cigarettes (Time, Noblesse, Mustang, Europe, Nelson, Sheraton, Montana, Broadway and others) on the defensive today but the company, founded in 1935, has dealt with such measures before. It’s spokesman told Israel Radio it was regrettable to punish a local manufacturer but that it would continue to supply quality products to those persons who already smoke.
Those persons, Israeli adults 18 and older, comprised 22.8 percent of the population in 2009 compared with 24.2% in the previous year according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. By contrast, in 1970, Israel’s smoking rate was over 40%, spurred on by ads like these:
As a non-smoker who has always gravitated towards professions and groups traditionally populated by smokers — the arts, theater, journalism, running — I find this sudden burst of governmental enthusiasm all a bit pie-in-the-sky.
A bit of history: Time was first launched in Israel in 1965 and is still perceived as the Israeli cigarette, both by locals and by thousands of visitors who remember with fondness sucking down one Time after another as an integral part of their summer and year-long programs, university semesters, IDF volunteering and kibbutz experiences. According to the Dubek website, “The brand enjoys high consumer loyalty and is considered to be the essence of the Israeli DNA.” Well, if not its essence, it certainly is something to the Israeli DNA, whose nucleotides are probably 25% nicotine at this point.
Because Israelis LOVE to smoke. They don’t just love it. To paraphrase Woody Allen, they luuurve it. The question is whether restrictions such as smoke-free areas in public places (already in effect), banning tobacco sales in vending machines, graphic warnings on packaging and a requirement to report tobacco product ingredients will curb the national tendency to take up smoking in high school, puff nihilistically throughout one’s army service, party on in a smokey haze, and then quit around child-bearing time (women, who take it up again as part of the post-baby diet) or after the first seizure (men).
I’m not saying that the measures taken today couldn’t work. They could. I’m just saying it’s not cigarettes that are the problem.
As for increasing tax rates on tobacco products, well, the Ministry of Finance said it would “reconsider” it. That’s a pretty weak sentiment, given that its the one measure which might actually work.
In addition, the Ministry of Education will decide on an experimental plan for smoke-free schools (They’re allowed to smoke in school?) and the Minister of Environmental Protection will formulate a plan to reduce the environmental damage caused by cigarette butts.
I’m not saying it couldn’t work. It could. But what, for example, will all the rest of the garbage strewn liberally about Israel’s streets, gardens, parks, highways and nature reserves do without their little friends the cigarette butts for company? They will have to make do with the rest of the lot: newspapers, tin cans, broken bottles, diapers, barbecue leftovers (i.e., rotting meat, greasy whole onions, burnt tomatoes and dried out old hummus), plastic plates and cups smoldering on still-burning coals… yeah, not having all those cigarette butts around is really going to put the kibosh on that party.
So, I’m not saying it couldn’t work. I’m just saying it’s not the cigarette butts that are the problem.
*By the way, the brand name Noblesse comes from the French expression Noblesse Oblige, “the obligation of those of high rank to be honorable and generous”. Who knew?
Foto Friday – Jerusalem Day
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Holidays, News, Politics, Science, Travel
This coming Wednesday is Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day. The holiday marks the capital city’s reunification in 1967 after having been divided between Israel and Jordan in 1948.
This Sunday, in honor of Jerusalem Day, the cabinet will hold its weekly meeting at the Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem. At that time, it is expected to pass the 5-year Merom Development Plan that will invest NIS 365 million (NIS 290 plus NIS 75) from the Ministry of Tourism) in raising Jerusalem’s profile as a technology and R&D center, particularly of biotechnology, as well as a strengthening its standing as a tourist destination.
Needless to say, the plan is not without controversy. Everyone has their own idea of what Jerusalem is and should be. For some people, this is Jerusalem…
For others, this is Jerusalem…
And for yet others, this is Jerusalem. Well, Teddy Stadium, at any rate.
And some people still think of Jerusalem as this: the crosswalk at Jaffa Road King George and Strauss Streets.
To download Jerusalem-themed Wallpapers and Screensavers or link to more all-around amazing pictures, visit the excellent Jerusalem Shots website — a celebration of Jerusalem’s past, present and future. In which case, in addition to gorgeous sunset panoramas, expect to see more biotech pics in the very near future.
1967 car-for-land swap
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, General, History and Culture, News, Politics, War
The key to Mideast peace? A 1967 Ford Mustang
It seems like everyone’s interpreting the statements from both sides in a selective way, hearing what they want and disregarding the rest. But one thing is clear, if Israel and the US are at odds over what the borders of a future Palestinian state are going to look like (never mind that the Palestinians have their own idea on the matter), then the tension is likely to continue and intensify.
One creative idea that’s being touted as a way to improve any potential schism in the relationship between Israel and the US is coming from an Israeli think tank – The Jewish People Policy Institute.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the JPPI is planning to recommend to the Cabinet that Israel replace its fleet of 50,000 government-owned vehicles that are currently Japanese, German and eastern European models with all-American brands.
Switching Israel’s fleet over to vehicles from Ford, GM and Chrysler would “be a strong symbol to show that we care about the U.S. economy,” the JPPI’s president, Avinoam Bar-Yosef, told the Free Press.
“It’s the kind of signal that you send to the American people, and the administration, that we’re with you. That we want to help you and your industries succeed,” Bar-Yosef said. “We believe it would have an impact. And it doesn’t have to stop with cars.”
U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., said she strongly supports the idea, calling it “the right recommendation for all the right reasons. There is reciprocity in all relationships, and I think it would be a very good move,” Miller said. “I would hope the Israeli government adopts it.”
Traditionally, due to lack of space, most popular cars on the market are Japanese or European compact or midis – the big American gas guzzlers don’t go over well here, with gas prices unspeakably high. But with American manufacturers adjusting their models as gas prices have also skyrocketed in the US, the American models are now more viable in Israel.
Maybe to make the deal even more attractive though, and to tie in with the 1967 concept, the new Israeli fleet of American cars should all be vintage ’67 models – Chevy Impalas, Pontiac Firebirds and Ford Galaxies. That would enable ordinary drivers to identify the VIPs from a distance and move out of the way.
And maybe to complete the ’67 theme, the remaining Beatles – Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will reunite and record Sgt Pepper II.
The latest Israeli celeb
Filed under: Blogging, Entertainment, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Movies, Pop Culture
Gal in the Fast Five movie poster in the homeland
As she tells Curt Schleier in The Forward’s Shmooze blog, she led the life of a fairly regular Israeli teenager until winning the Miss Israel pageant — although she was clearly heading in that direction for a while. She then modeled for three years before serving her full two years in the IDF as a fitness instructor.
After finishing her army service, Gadot was cast for Fast & Furious, the fourth installment in the series, and she told Schleier that director Justin Lin used her weapons knowledge to good effect in the film:
Giselle is not Israeli. How was it decided to now have it that she worked with the Mossad?
You don’t have to be an Israeli to work with Mossad. [Director] Justin Lin and I knew we were going to work on [three films together], and we wanted her to evolve. I think the main reason was that Justin really liked that I was in the Israeli military, and he wanted to use my knowledge of weapons.
According to IGN’s Babe of the Day posting, Gadot is “not only an ass-kicking action movie hottie, but she’s got the skills to back it up. At just 25 [now 26], Gal Gadot has already served in the Israeli Defense Forces and now as our Babe of the Day.”
The famous Maxim photo
Good luck to Gal.
Nostalgia Sunday – In the public service
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, Entertainment, Food, General, health, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Movies, News, Nostalgia Sunday, Pop Culture, tv
The news this week about Israel is so bleak and twisted that it seems only right to look back at simpler times. Way back before so-called Facebook revolutions could be beamed instantly over 24-hour new stations to a jaded world. Times when Israel had only one television station and each new public service announcement broadcast before the evening news was discussed in minute detail the next morning. Public service spots by ad men like director Yoram Levy that created entertainment out of the most mundane of topics. For example, national blood drives led by a little old lady trilling “taram tee dam, taram tee dam” as she skips gaily along.*
Ads promoting local produce (the eggplant segment is highly recommended)…
Milk, of course…
Even this warning about how to deal with suspicious objects is kind of fun…
And here’s a totally Eighties take on buying Made-in-Israel fashion!
* FYI: In Hebrew, taramti dam means “I donated blood”.
Subscribe
Subscribe to Israelity via email:
Social Media
Categories
- A New Reality
- Art
- Blogging
- Business
- coexistence
- Crime
- design
- education
- Entertainment
- Environment
- Food
- Foto Friday
- General
- health
- History and Culture
- Holidays
- Immigrant Moments
- Israeliness
- Life
- Medical Breakthroughs
- Movies
- Music
- News
- Nostalgia Sunday
- Picture of the Week
- Politics
- Pop Culture
- Profiles
- Religion
- Science
- Social Justice
- Sports
- Technology
- Travel
- tv
- War
The Face of Israel Today
-
About Israelity
Free newsletter
Stories from ISRAEL21c.orgPopular Posts