From Comb Over to Potty Training: Old Prime Minister Meet Your New Competition
How about this for change – a city in Oklahoma has just voted the youngest Mayor into office. And when I say young, I mean diapers and training wheels, the kid is only 19-years-old. He beat out grandpa and actually has a campaign to back him up. How did he get voted in? Nope, this isn’t a popularity contest; it’s simpler than that. The citizens of Muskogee were fed up with the “same old political shenanigans” and decided to go with someone that has no baggage. The only weight he might be carrying is
a beer bong, over his shoulder.
Could this be a solution for Israel’s political corruption too? While I am no fan of Prime Minister (maybe) Olmert, we all have to admit his lies, money laundering and house buying, is typical – what’s the word they used – “political shenanigans”, for Israel or any country for that matter. Barak, Netanyahu, Livni, they all have some kind of baggage that they will bring with them, if and when they play the role of Prime Minister. My only disappointment is that Olmert isn’t getting kicked out for bad hair. He sported that comb over for years and there were no repercussions!
That being said, a young person wouldn’t have a comb over, just like he wouldn’t have baggage. And if he or she is going to be the next Israeli Prime Minister, then they must be a toddler!
The search should start in preschools around the country. We’re looking for a kid that doesn’t poop his pants and understands the meaning of no. We want someone verbal, but identifies with nap time. Finally, we need someone with a good spirit, who sings along at song sessions and grabs a partner to dance in the middle of the circle.
If you know a child like this than please contact your local community representative and lets get this campaign together for the probable upcoming election.
And in the meantime, enjoy this video about Olmert I made over a year ago about his lies and of course his comb over. It is hard to believe he has lasted this long.
Baboo: new apartment search website simplifies apt hunt in Israel
For all of you searching 8+ apartment websites in Israel every day to make sure you score the best deal in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, or anywhere else in Israel before the next guy, check out Baboo. Baboo (Hebrew only but worth the effort) collects information from a bunch of apartment websites including yad2, Madas, WinWin, and others and puts it all in one place to make your search less stressful.
Jerusalem Seminars in June: using blogging and social media (Facebook, Digg, Friendfeed, etc.) for marketing
I’ve never really written about things related to my work here on the big felafel – but this seemed too important to pass up. I think there are a bunch of small businesses in Israel, especially in Jerusalem that are only slowly starting to realize, hey, why isn’t Janglo bringing in enough business? Make no mistake, I am no Janlgo critic, in fact, I’m as big an addict as they come in this part of the country. However, I’ve noticed that as I blog and become active in a whole slew of social networks, I’m finding out about opportunities, networking events, and connections that I probably wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise.
In short, I think plenty of Israeli co.s and non-profits could benefit from this upcoming 3-day seminar. If you think you know someone who would be interested, feel free to send them the info. To Register, click here.
Here is the agenda which I may or may not have helped out with: Continue reading this entry »
The Next Holiday: Sex and the City Premiere May 29 Mark Your Calendars for this Holy of Holy Days
With all the Jewish holidays that seem to appear on a weekly basis, I can’t help but wonder…do people know about the Sex and the City movie opening next week in Israel. It’s true… Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda will invade Israel next Thursday, May 29, 2008. While, I have had the date circled for the past six months, I’m not sure that the citizens of Israel are aware of this significant event about to take place.
Truth be told I originally wanted to plan my trip to America around the premiere in New York, but after realizing that was one expensive movie ticket, I opted for Tel Aviv-a close second to New York (yeah right).
Ok, so I will have to watch the movie with subtitles and intermission, but it is coming out here before America, so take that! We will get to see Carrie in all her fashion glory, Samantha in full glory, Charlotte and her Chinese daughter and Miranda hopefully still with Steve (check out preview below to see why I say that).
The movie is set to take place in the present which means the ladies are four years older and in their forties. In fact after reading a few gossip magazines via the internet, I have learned that the filmmakers used a special lens on the camera to hide the ladies’ wrinkles. Nevertheless, from the pictures I have seen, the women are still bringing it. And they will be bringing it for the next several years, since it looks like this movie is the first part of a trilogy. That’s right, we will literally be watching Sex and the City until it is Sex and the Retirement Home. Samantha will have the hottest adult diapers in town (can they make diaper thongs)!
Until then, check out the full length preview below. And also make note, the movie is coming out in about a week-but I wouldn’t wait until Thursday to purchase your tickets. The movie will premiere in Rav Chen theaters. To find out more check out Seret.co.il theater listings.
Going Green and Recycling in Israel Part 3: What and where to recycle(online and real life)
Recycling in Israel often seems to lag behind recycling in America. For example, where can I recycle my yogurt containers? Cardboard? Glass olive oil bottles? I’m hoping people reading this will respond to these questions. In the meantime, I’ve collected some info about recycling that I’ve collected, which I’ve divided into online recycling and real life recycling.
Where to Recycle – Online
Image from Avi Rubin's blog
Thanks to the Green Prophet, here’s a list of websites to help you get rid of your stuff or find someone else’s for free. Who said going green had to be expensive? If you like digging for treasures, these sites are a definite find.
English sites
Hebrew sites
English and Hebrew site
Where to Recycle – Real Life
Check out this Janglo post, where someone compiled a post on what people found out about recycling in Israel. One person even went to the recycling plant and discovered which bottles the plants prefer to get (answer: clear bottles), which bottles are not really wanted (colored bottles), and what some of the plastic is used for (furniture).
Pikadon – Pikadon is the money you’ll receive for deposting certain bottles or cans. Check your bottle or can for the label. It’s important that you leave this label intact – some supermarkets can be really strict! For wine and alcohol, you’ll usually get 25 agurot, and for beer, you’ll get 25 agurot for the small bottles, and 1 shekel for the big ones.
Plastic Bottles (Soda, Water) – The big green grates located on practically every street in Jerusalem.
Paper – In Jerusalem, these are the the green bins with pretty painted pictures. Make sure to bring your camera – some of these bins are really creative.
Glass – you can take glass bottles to certain supermarkets. In Jerusalem, you can go to Mister Zol under the Mashbir, Mega and SuperSol Deal in Talpiot – I find Mega in Talpiot the easiest to deal with for this kind of thing.
Batteries – Bring to Merkaz Hamagshimim Hadassah, Dor Dor V’Dorshav 7A in the German Colony in Jerusalem. Tel: 02 561 9168
Old appliances and electronic devices – Drop it off at the Science Museum in Givat Ram, Jerusalem. As you enter the car entrance to the Museum, turn left. Visit Snunit Recycling for more info.
Jerusalem Municipality Recycling Center in Givat Shaul (on Givat Shaul Road opposite Herzog hospital) accepts clothing (torn and stained too) for recycling, as well as glass, electrical items, plastic bottles and bags, metal, glass, used cooking oil, etc.
Open Sun-Thu 10 am to 4 pm; Fri: 10 am to 2 pm
Phone: 02-6535944
If you have more info to contribute, please don’t hold back…
Yom Ba-Bush
Yom Ba-Bush…Is it that time of year again? Just when you thought the Holiday season was finally almost over (you know, every week in Israel since Pesach we have to have at least one holiday), here comes the best holiday of them all…Yom Ba-Bush. Or at least that is what I have entitled the Bush visits, in which highways dress up as parking lots, schools shut down and bomb sniffing dogs are the most popular pet around.
With Bush’s daughter hitched up, I think it’s time for daddy to take on some new growing pains. The pains I refer to are peace, politicians and Mexican restaurants (oh wait, that’s just my pain). Turns out that like most of the problems in the world, Bush plans to ignore the above mentioned issues and will be here to attend the prestigious President’s Conference, which almost every famous person has cancelled on.
All that said, I have once again obtained a top secret to-do list from the Foreign Ministry (I guess Livni is too busy trying to steal the Prime Minister position to care about little snoopers). Check out the preparation list that the country’s tax dollars will be spent on this time around.
And speaking of wasted money, did anyone notice the spectacular light show for Independence Day last week? I really enjoyed the big flashlight show. It reminded me of my days in camp when we use to shine our flash lights into the dark night-only I am guessing my flashlight did not cost as much as the super big bulbs that our tax money was wasted on. Oh, and lets not forget that these big lights had colors: Blue, white and green. The blue and white was for the Israeli flag and likewise, I assume, the green was for Hamas’ flag! I’m sure those lights will be used again…only this time as search lights for our tax dollars disappearing before our eyes.
Here is an excerpt from the Top Secret (shhhh!!!) Checklist:
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Make sure new hummus flavored ice cream from Cafe Cafe is available and ready in the President’s suite
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Buy Bush a map, since last time he thought Tel Aviv was a part of Jordan
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Dust off the one stretch limo this country owns and make sure to actually put in the bullet proof windows this time
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Invite Abu Mazen for a secret three-way at one of the four houses owned by Prime Minister Olmert that cost less than $1
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Shut down all schools, banks (oh wait, they will probably be closed anyway) and public areas
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Put a cop on every corner and make sure they too have plenty of hummus ice cream
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Suck out some of the salt from the Dead Sea since Bush said it burned down there last time
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Give Bush a private tour of the new Mall, Mamilla-make sure no one is there-oh wait, no one is ever there.
Everything I’ve learned about recycling and trying to go green in Israel. Part 2: Local Organic Produce and The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Sorry for the long delay in posting.. I’ve been growing increasingly addicted to twitter where I can post quick thoughts and because I’ve been reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma actually really ties into my whole attempt to be a bit greener. This is possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read and I’ve been recommending and talking about it to anyone who comes within shouting distance. Pollan discusses 4 types of meals you can eat: industrial, industrial organic, organic/grass-fed farms, and hunting/gathering. It opened my eyes as to what I put in my body and brings a whole new meaning to “you are what you eat”.
And, like most things that you become aware of, you start seeing related information everywhere. I was checking Janglo last week and noticed that someone wanted to share the delivery cost from an local organic farm. I wrote to her and asked about 1,303 questions – what kind of food can you get? how much does it cost? when do they deliver? etc. She directed me toward Teva Habsor (1800- 25- 90- 90) which is an organic farm in the Negev. When I asked where exactly they were located, she said ‘in the Kassam region’. She said that usually explained it best to people. Pretty sad. But I guess life goes on. The farm sends out an Excel pricing sheet on Sundays and delivers to Jerusalem on Tuesdays; to Tel Aviv on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; Negev area on Thursdays [from honey]. The best ‘deal’ from the farm seems to be a box of seasonal vegetables for 110 shekels which includes delivery. This seems a little steep, especially compared to the prices at the shuk. I guess a better comparison would be with the supermarkets, where the produce is unbelievably overpriced.
However, The Omnivore’s Dilemma talks about the bigger idea of cost, meaning that the prices at the shuk may seem cheaper but we end up paying for it indirectly. We pay for cheap produce through higher taxes for healthcare because of new food-related diseases, polluted water from insecticides and synthetic fertilizers, and fossil fuels used in the transportation of our food. Currently, I’m not sure that buying only organic is financially possible on an Israeli salary, but I’m excited to try it hopefully once a month and come home to a box of seasonal and locally made produce. Did I mention that this book was awesome?
Here’s a list of Organic Farms that deliver in Israel, thanks to Crunchy Greenola
Everything I’ve learned about recycling and trying to go green in Israel. Part 1: the big picture
As it turns out, Earth Day was yesterday, so I happen to be really on top of things without even being aware. I did know it was Earth Hour about a month ago thanks to Benji’s insight into a Tel Aviv event where stationary bikes powered a concert – highly amusing.
Going green is really trendy right now, at least in New York City which I visited less than 2 weeks ago, and slowly but surely, it’s starting to spread in Israel. I’ve always recycled my plastic bottles and papers without even thinking twice, but I never really ventured much beyond that. During my trip, it occurred to me that I could be trying a little harder. I noticed that during the course of hanging out with my friends in the big apple, the word tote starting popping up in conversations. “I have some extra totes, do you need one” “shoot.. I forgot my tote” This was the first time I heard my friends talking about totes and other things they’re doing to be more environmentally conscious.
So I joined in, packed a few totes and was determined to use them upon my return to Israel. However, when put to the test, I have to admit that cutting down on plastic bags in the shuk was not particularly easy. For one, plastic bags are one of the very few things you can get for free in Israel so people load up on plastic bags to their heart’s content. Personally, I couldn’t figure out how to weigh 30 tomatoes without using a plastic bag. Also, the fear of tomato juice forming at the bottom of my tote didn’t seem so appealing either. And I use the bags for garbage.. how does that factor in? I think I need an environmental coach to help me figure everything out. But, I’m not giving up, I will continue to use the tote as much as possible even though it doesn’t seem so practical at times. I’m open to suggestions on how to better use the tote. Now that we’ve said tote 7 times, I think we can move on – stay tuned for Part 2 where I’ll show you how to get down and dirty aka where and what to recycle.
Here’s some articles and blogs that might inspire you to change your habits and some articles that may depress you as you learn about the state of our environment. Either way, just being aware of everything that is going on is a huge step forward.
Recent headlines featured the following environmental concerns:
- Dumping costs v. getting people to go out of their way to recycle
- Water Crisis in Israel
- Environment awareness shameful
Recent initiative:
Not-as-recent but cool initiative:
For daily reading on environmental tips, I recommend the following blogs:
- The Green Prophet – This is a blog specifically about going green in Israel and little things we can do to help the environment.
- TreeHugger – everything green- tips, news, products.
- 50 Ways to Help the Planet – self explanatory
Pesach Cleaning Will Never Be the Same Again
If you are like me then you probably aren’t doing your Pesach cleaning…yet. Oh, you plan to scrub down the floors, empty out the fridge and find the bread crumbs that have become a part of your couch-but you just can’t motivate yourself to actually put the broom in your hand.I need incentive for these types of life challenges. And I think I may have found it on best friend Youtube. The videos below are two Pesach raps that have transformed my outlook on cleaning. The raps have literally become my version of whistle while you work songs and maybe they will help to motivate you too.
How?
The first video, “Moses Rap,” is informative and the lyrics are super catchy. I listen to it before I clean each room (or before I will clean each room) and then when I clean, I sing the chorus. This is the “whistle while you work,” part. I mean, does it get cooler than that?
The second video, Matzah Ball Rap, is just what the doctor order for those truly tough cleaning jobs. Instead of pulling out your hair, wondering how you will get the sticky syrup stuck in the back of your fridge clean, try watching this video for a good laugh. One chuckle and you’ll forget why you were so upset and look forward to the battle of the syrup. Well, maybe not look forward to it, but at least you will have laughed and that helps reduce some of the stress. Did I mention that the song is a parody of the rap by Sir Mix-a-lot’s, “Baby Got Back”?
I hope you enjoy these two videos and that they inspire you to do your own version of whistle while you work. This raps are also great to just listen to and send to friends and family!
Stuff Israeli People Like #1-8
After reading the hilarious blog, Stuff white people like, I thought I’d take a crack at what Israeli people like. Keep in mind, this is from the perspective of someone who made aliyah (moved to Israel), not a native Israeli. I’m sure after a few more years I won’t even notice these little details, so I want to try to write it all down now.
- Tashlumim – Paying in installments. For example, you go to the supermarket and buy pasta and sauce. At the checkout they ask you if you would like to pay regular or in installments. 9 times out of 10 Israelis will say yes to the tashlumim. Are all these Israelis really living from month to month or has society seduced them into the illusion that they are spending less by dividing up the payments?
- Magenta hair – In America, women tend to get blonder as they get older, but here in Israel, women get magenta-er. The shades range from maybe-it’s-brown to the bubble-gum variety. I guess they figure, everyone can tell it’s dyed, mind’s well beat the system by showing off.
- Decorating cars for weddings – Decorating a car for newlyweds is a must in Israel. Even if you protest and say you don’t really care, it is guaranteed that your car will be decorated and will follow strict decorating guidelines. First, it must be decked out in ribbon, not balloons. The ribbon must go in two strands across the length of the car and taped down every 3 inches creating a rippled effect.
And now for an interesting episode that I encountered with the decorated British car in the photo below. A few Shabbats ago, we were eating in the park when we heard a police car shouting over a megaphone. They warned the owner of this taxi-lookin’ car to come down or they would open the car by force. And they did! They duct-taped the driver-seat window and then cut out the window using a special knife. As a huge crowd gathered, we just watched, confused, as the police searched every inch of the car and then proceeded to tow it away. As my good friends from The Mighty Wind would say, “Wha happen?!” So curious…
- Construction – With expensive luxury apartments going up left and right, Jerusalem is feared to turn into a ghost town, with Americans only visiting during the holidays. In the meantime, we can look forward to getting hit on by the construction workers on our walk to work.
- Honking before the light turns green – I’m not sure who thought it would be a good idea to make the light turn yellow before it turns green, but it has caused the most unbelievable anxiety in traffic. As soon as people feel the yellow light coming, they already start honking. Before it even turns green
!
- Traffic Circles – They just love ’em. And if you want to see the mother of all traffic circles, check out the double laned one on the corner of Pierre Koening and Hatenufa(?) in Talpiot. I still can’t figure out who is supposed to go where and when.
- Techno Music – It doesn’t matter where you are – hippie fest by the Sea of Galilee, watching Nolad Lirkod (Born to Dance) on TV, or eating in a religious-owned felafel joint, Techno music is everywhere. It just manages to take over every possible scenario. What ever happened to the good ol’ days of YoYa?
- Funny lookin’ cars – Oh, man, it makes me laugh again just looking at it. I have never seen these types of cars anywhere except for Israel. I guess it is the equivalent of a mini-van.. of sorts.
I’m sure I’m missing lots so if you’re feeling generous add your own “Stuff Israeli people like” in the comments.
The Big Felafel 