Yackety Yak Israel - Buzz from big white city

Dear Tzipi - Sam's letter to possible winner...

Dear Tzipi:

      Don't let 'em get ya. Those male chauvinist pi**s lead by the big pi** Mofaz just don't want to accept the fact of your victory to head the party. To be a good politician and leader one must learn how to loose with honor and be a team player once the fight is over. Mofaz gets an "F" on both counts.

      This bitter man is out to destroy you, maybe he is out just for his own glory, but either way you better watch out. You must watch him carefully and expose this Brutus for what he is. Mofaz will stab you just like Brutus stabbed Ceasar - the most infamous killing in political history. So keep your back away from his stiletto. As the godfather would say: "keep your friends close and your enemies closer". If there is a way to move him aside in Kadimah do it quietly, with style, no need to make a scene. Show him and the rest of the men that you are tougher and more honest than him. He may be working behind your back with Shas making all kind of promises for financial return if they bring to him a few precious votes. Are back room deals going to be good for our economy?

      Mofaz will not take his loss easily. Kadima simply rejected his view of politics as usual spend more on defence - absolutely no limits on spending. Now that the general elections are coming, you need to focus on the big issues, politics aside there is the economy, Syria, the Palestinians... lots to do and little time for roman senate type of politics - with or without the stilettos.

Sam-D-man in Tel Aviv

What can we learn from Obama [emancipation replay?]

Obama's "change" book... is it going to work? or be enough?
So the election campaign is going full force in the US. Barack Obama is one of the most articulate and relevant candidates in a long time. His "change we can believe in" campaign has ignited the imagination and stirred the spirits of Americans like never before. But you ask: "what does this have to do with Israel? or Tel Aviv?" ~ well, I think P L E N T Y ! If we think in terms of time and history, Barack Obama is the heir of a long chain of black reformers going back to the American slave era. Some do not like to bring up this dark period in American history, but bear with me and keep on reading. I would like to equate the dark time in American history to what the Palestinians seem to be having now. Mostly because of politics and somewhat because of personal ideology the Palestinians seem to feel like the whole world is against them and that the Israelis are heading the lynch mob. Well, what do you think it was like for the blacks of south before the American Civil War? I don't think that the Palestinians can hold a candle to them. As I follow the history from Abraham Lincoln, Fredirick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr. -- fast forward to Barack Obama, you see how the treatment of blacks has gone through ups and downs and seemed to be a series of endless disapointments. Does this sound like the story for Gazans??? Of course it does. But everyone wants the Palestinians to have the same status, opportunity, and lifestyle of the afluent blacks in the good ole' US of A. Of course we all want this, but we seem not to want to go through the "process" or the "change". You may remember that the blacks in the US had the Black Panthers? To most white Americans this was downright terrorism perpretrated by a minority group that seem not to take reponsibility for their own state of affairs.
The point I am making is that change can come. Sometimes slowly and sometimes dramatically. Barack Obama's position and personality as a change vehical is credible only because he does follow a long line of black change ideologist. His ideas and words are an echo of Lincooln's and King's ideas, but this time he is pitting one group against another on an economic and political scale, not on race or religion. He does clearly state that things can not go as they have been going up to now. There are plenty of "signs" that he has a point. I guess he is trying to say, just like the people in Israel and in most of the Middle East: "the era of wars and political terrorism is over". It's hard to say this while the World Trade Center towers in New York are still "a hole in the ground" and the headstones in Israeli grave yards are still white and fresh. It's hard to tell the Iraqis that a dictator is gone and they need to figure out how to live differently. It's hard to tell Iranians that Israel is not going to volley a nuclear bomb at them as they have expected for a long time, probably just because they are fundamentally Muslim. All these ideas can't be changed in a month or a year or even a decade. So I hope to see the Palestinian King or Obama some time in the next 20 years. If you want it faster go get him -/- she is probably living in Gaza or Lebanon and is doing her wash just about now. Or maybe she is on the beach in Quatar (OK I had to get that one in).

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For these Americans who bristle at my use of "black" to describe the now popularly accepted "African American" please don't write any comments, they are not going to tell me anything I don't know. Blacks has been used in American English for a long time, before that the term "Negro" was used from the Spanish and Portugese. The sad thing about a loss of historical perspective is how quickly people forget that things actually "got better". I like to point out that life has "changed" for many, not just the "African Americans". Without the people who change them, who said the very short phrases [of the people, by the people, for the people / I have a dream] that encapsulated a big idea into a moto, probably the change would have taken much longer. So read, don't judge (me) and think for yourself. (if you got a good article, write to me :-)

A state for all people - not just religious ones

Sixsty years ago Israel became a sovereign state for the Jewish people. Today the ultra orthodox (black hats) are trying to change our state to suit their religious community. They use boycotts, coercion, and violence to intimidate more secular Jews. Prospective Jewish converts are also pressured to follow strict Taliban like practices which originated as far back as the 16th century in Eastern Europe. While this sounds a little strange, specially in a modern democratic state, until now the liberal seculars and the conservative orthodox did not intrude on each other's daily lives.

The ultra orthodox are only satisfied when they can dictate to all of us secular Jews what we may eat, how we must dress, our relationships with the opposite sex, where we may shop for cloths or food, where we can go on vacation, and what music we may listen to (movies and television viewing is strictly forbidden). Men and women are forbidden to go to the beach together. Orthodox hate seculars in Tel Aviv, seculars to a great extent told these "Jewish mullahs" to take their dictatorial rule and shove it up their ... you know what!

The latest dictates by ultra orthodox Rabbis from various Hasidic sects is to declare all popular music treif (not kosher) and to forbid such music and dance at all facilities: hotels, restaurants, and wedding halls. The playing of this goyishe music will end with a boycott or worse for these facilities. They will essentially lose all secular business.

Sam-D-man says: time has come for the vast majority of Israelis to stand up to these Jewish ayatollahs -- TELL THEM ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! What we need is a new law, like the one that exists in the United States, Great Britain, France, and Germany. This law is called "Interference in a Advantageous Business Relationship". This is a civil law which states that unless you have a legitimate civil claim like breach of contract, you can not try to cause financial harm to a business. You can't just do something because you just don't like it. Calling for boycotts, making threats of various kinds, and committing violence will subject these people to civil damages for the loss caused.

If our politicians don't have the courage to legislate against this coercion we the people can stand up and do what we can. We can avoid as much as possible all those merchants who give homage to the ultra orthodox. If a restaurant, hotel, hall facility are pandering to these people try to avoid them and find an alternative.

Stand up for your rights, if you don't, no one else will. sam-D-man / Tel Aviv

Let's take a train to Kuwait - like the good old days

Original design proposal for AL-Hamra Tower (Kuwait city)

I know I can take a train from Tel Aviv to Haifa but how about to Kuwait? In the days of the Ottoman empire and the British rule you could take a train from Ankara Turkey to Alexandria Egypt with connections to Baghdad, Amman, and Beirut. Sadly today you can't even take a plane from Tel Aviv to most Arab cities. But the reality of today's politics is not deterring Kuwait and other gulf country politicians. Kuwait plans to build a rail line connecting all it's neighbors including Israel. This is a part of a project ot improve Kuwait and bring technology and modern life to the small country.
      Dr. Sami al-Faraj president of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Futuristic Studies and an adviser to the Gulf Cooperation Council is quoted as saying: "people in the gulf are smart enough to understand the impact of technology on their development and they know that the technology is in Israel". The Kuwaitis and other forward looking Arabs are essentially saying, it is time to bury the hatchet and learn to live and work together. Once the gulf countries ended their wars and the threat from Iraq ended they quickly realized that now is the time to change the life in their region. This is a welcome message to Israel and the rest of the world. (interview with Dr. al-Faraj)

Ear Plugs for the Orthodox

For these orthodox Jewish men who believe that they may become sexually aroused by hearing a woman sing, and are thus offended by their singing, I have the perfect solution. The ultimate humiliation to women is to forbid them from singing our national anthem in the Knesset (parliament). If the religious orthodox Jews are offended: TOO BAD. Almost everything they do offends me but I still believe in 'live and let live'. These religious zealots don't want to accept anyone who doesn't dance to their tune.
To deal with their sensibility on hearing a woman sing I want to suggest the government provide all religious men with ear plugs. I guess the religious men believe that women have no sex drive, because they can listen to men sing without going into a sexual frenzy. I would suggest that they rend an old Beatles, Elvis, or Tom Jones concert video. Pay attention to the women ~ and the bras.
Shut your ears... sam-D-man @ T"A

Who Needs a GET? (Jewish Rabbinical Divorce)

A Jewish religious marriage - the Ketubah, should not ruin your life.

To all you ladies who have a husband who is holding a "get" over your head, I am going to tell you how you can screw him. Under Jewish law the husband has a license to blackmail his wife either into staying in an abusive relationship or giving up her property right and support to get a Jewish divorce - which is called a 'get'. In Israel, which does not really have a civil marriage, the Rabbinical court issues 'gets' and is sometimes unable to convince men to "give" a get to a woman. This issue becomes a problem that is not only embarrassing to this modern state, but also devastating to women. Essentially women are held is suspended animation for years without the ability to marry or in some cases even date other men.
The state of Israel recognizes divorces granted by foreign country courts. Women can take a vacation to Cyprus and get a civil divorce there through a local lawyer. Lawyers in Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey will be happy to help you, some may even be familiar with this religious-civil conundrum in the Israeli legal system. A divorce from a foreign country will essentially make you "free". Take your divorce papers to the Israeli state interior ministry and they will officially change your status from married to single.
If you have children from the marriage, file in the civil court in Israel for custody. Your husband - now EX-husband can't legally stop you. Also file your divorce in the Tabu, the Real Estate recorder's office to protect your property rights.
Now that you have filed for child custody, have your Israeli lawyer sue your EX-husband for your interest in the property.
If you want to remarry in Israel the rabbinical court will tell you that you don't have a Get. Technically there are correct, but that does not matter unless you want to marry and orthodox man and you are orthodox yourself.
Time for a second vacation to Cyprus. Take your divorce papers and your future husband's divorce papers (if he has any). Now you can marry totally legally in Cyprus, or Greece, or Turkey or any other country of your choice. The state of Israel will recognize your marriage. Follow the same procedures you did for your divorce with the state of Israel once you return.
          Enjoy your life and don't let anyone ruin it -- sam-D-man @ T"A

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Editor's note: this article is strictly 'sam-D-man's' personal opinion. By no means does this constitute legal advice. Please consult a qualified legal service or professional for specific legal issues.

No Honor in Murder - a Woman's Life in Israel

Miss Indonesia in a bikini: is this a Muslim dishonor?

Editor's note: Recently a Muslim Israeli woman came forward in fear for her life. She has been threatened with death by a family member for bringing dishonor to the family. Her act of dishonor has been a refusal to marry a man in an arranged marriage. This is a comment on this news item and similar stories in the Israeli media.

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The Islamic (Muslim) way of life give to the men of a family life or death control over his women. We know that this occurs often in the Middle East among Muslims. The practice is that if the women in the family decides that a female family member bringing dishonor to the family it's OK to kill her.
What is dishonor? What is dignity? you ask! Both of these are not easily defined. Probably because they are dependent on tradition and basic Muslim values. These values seem to be different depending on who you ask and in which country. Both, honor and dignity, are excuses men use to exercise their cave-men, barbaric instinctive control over women. Their irresistible urge to beat the crap out of them for no reason. These like other urges that modern civil society has held illegal must be suppressed by making it a crime to control and abuse women. Then these laws need to be enforced and publicized, tell Islamic society: "don't do the crime, if you can't do the time". (a popular American saying about crime and punishment)
Islamic law will not crack down on physical abuse, verbal abuse, and murder of women. Remember under Islamic law women are told what to wear, eat, and how to socialize. Who and when to marry is a crucial and extremely important part of the dominance over women. This is one of the most dangerous and crucial pillar in the control of women in the traditional society. Men know that once a woman marries into a certain family with traditional values and way of life, she will continue to serve the community like a virtual slave. Their husbands, fathers, and even sons may do what they will with these hapless women.
Women of the world must organize and fight these "traditions" especially in countries that follow Islamic law and take for granted these brutal way of life.
        sam-D-man in Tel Aviv

Feeling change in Tel Aviv - not so easy

In a recent talk with Elinor, a TV producer, the topic of how people in Tel Aviv see themselves came up. Her friend wrote a book on how Tel Avivians turned complacent, comfortable, bordering on hedonistic. There is definitely a view that life in Tel Aviv is getting "too soft, too comfortable, too isolated from reality". What does this mean? People still struggle here, from finding a decent apartment to balancing work with life... from finding a little peace and quiet in a noisy city, to just avoiding dog poop on the sidewalk at night. Big issues to small ones, they have not gone away, just changed.
It is true that Tel Aviv has become a comfortable metropolis. It is true that Israel's central region is modern and runs well - maybe TOO WELL? (some say!) But Tel Aviv does have the same problems any large metropolis has. The city has a chronic housing shortage, but buildings are still small and personal and not crowded like European cities: Paris, Amsterdam, or Rome. Tel Aviv has a chronic parking shortage, but the city grew out of small street architecture just at the dawn of the automotive age. For over 80 years city planners were thinking about public transportation while residents prefer cars, bikes, and mopeds. Tel Aviv as a city simply changed "too quickly".

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Rabbis are worried about too many Jews
But Elinor's point reminded me of another rather extreme position we hear on the street. There is a renewed fierce verbal battle over the view of "who is a Jew". The more orthodox rabbis want to limit the official religious Jewish conversions (official state approved). This goes for both men and women's conversions. But the issue is also pushed in the other direction by more secular rabbis which want to welcome anyone who wants to live and settle in Israel.
These two issues seem to manifest the difficulty in changing view points and mind sets from the past. Thinking that life is too good for "US" is what our parents and grandparents have been hearing in Europe and in Arab countries - long before the state of Israel gained independence and was a Jewish state. The rabbis of today are still thinking and ACTING as if they were in small isolated villages (shtettles). Where bringing someone from the outside was not just strange, unacceptable, hard, but EVEN DANGEROUS! Stories of reprisals in the form of fines and even communal punishment for enticing Christians to become Jews were not strange to us two generations ago. These stories - or the isolated thinking that we hold seem to be still echoing in our minds. But we are not in rural Poland or Yemen any more. Actually we have not been there for two or three generations already.
These deja-vu thinkers are not just as nostalgic curiosities. They are actually disturbing and border on the dangerous. If we keep to our old ways of thinking we may actually hurt ourselves. If we keep to our old ways of thinking we will act accordingly and hurt ourselves. Our thinking will stop us from moving Tel Aviv and Israel as a Jewish state from forward progress. Our geographic, cultural, and historic advantages will be held back. This is what conservative, dictatorial, and religious countries are doing all around us. You don't have to look hard to find crippled countries. They come in every shape and color, they behave in every imaginable way - but basically they hurt people and the overall society.
The Tel Aviv view of change seem to come from just seeing it on the street, on people's faces, in how we live. Change just comes to us, we do not seem to plan or seek it. Some of our old politicians seem to have tried both: planning -or- stopping / ignoring. But neither one seem to work very well. It seems that people change as they see fit, when they don't, we clash.

Sex in the city - some relief for a friend

Discreet cards advertising "massage" - you can be sure if it's an "apartment" there is more than just oil...
I was having coffee with a friend last week (David from the north). We talked for a a long time about the complicated political situation and the local sport scene. Then our conversation turned to sex. David is not having any. That was a sad situation. David is not married, with a good job and a nice apartment in the north of Israel. He moaned on that he has no girlfriend and that the last six months no sex either. It was clear that this guy was one horny toad!
I finally looked at my friend and said: "you got to get laid!" David asked in half teary eyes: "how am I going to do that???" So I reminded him that he is in Tel Aviv. I took him for a walk down the street, a perfectly respectable residential street in the north of Tel Aviv. We looked for signs for "an apartment" which is a double-entendre for a small brothel. Here a bunch of girls get together and offer their services discreetly. For 200 to 300 shekels you can have your sexual needs satisfied and you can go home happy.
I walked David to the door, wished him good luck, and left. One hour later I get a call from David. He said that he has not felt this good in months (I was thinking years but didn't say anything). He reported that the girl was tender, warm, and sexy. He thanked me for pointing him to a good sex in the city. sam-D-man // in-the-city [Tel Aviv]

Editor's note: Strictly speaking prostitution is not illegal in Israel. Pimping is illegal and therefore most prostitutes work alone or in small groups. "Apartments" in Tel Aviv and other cities are usually very discreetly advertised with "business cards" (usually a revealing picture and a phone number).

Brunch - Dress Code - Shopping

1. What do Tel Avivians do on the first weekend morning?? Friday morning is go out to breakfast or brunch. The hundreds of beit cafes (coffee houses) and restaurants are packed with Tel Avivians enjoying the start of the weekend. Eggs, Bacon, Ham, Salad, up-over easy and omelets are the order of the day. Some places offer Eggs Benedict (sam-D's favorite!) We enjoy life in Tel Aviv.
   

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Morning scene at the port: waiting for brunch to begin? or is it a late arrival?


2. In Jerusalem the city's Haredi (ultra orthodox Jews) are imposing dress codes in public events. We don't have this strict control in Tel Aviv. Young girls are being forced to cover their heads and wear fundamental Islamic type dress. Next they will try to impose face cover-up Taliban style. Be careful what you wear...
   
3. The weekend is a good day to go grocery shopping in Tel Aviv. The stores are modersn, and tock bountiful supply of produce, canned goods, cheeses, snacks, frozen food, meats, and poultry. They also have many 1+1 sales (buy 1 get 1 free). These 50% discounts will save you money. Good grocery shopping in Tel Aviv -- Girls - you can wear what you like. Sexy is good.

Yacking with good people - Watch out when you say...

      Two meetings recently made me realize how little foreigners understand Tel Aviv. Two people who came to Israel for business but also wanted to come across as friendly and interested in Israel. One, a business man, gave a technical talk. Working for an American company he resides in Dubai. The trend of basing Middle East operations of American companies in the gulf states is something of a fad now. The other one was a president of a large university. Both came primarily for business, they would not have come to Israel just to visit or to extend their contacts. Israel is now an acceptable place to do business and the fear of terrorism seem not to stop most people. But there is something that most people do not understand until they get here. Actually, not just get here, but really speak and interact one-on-one. Israelis are still not totally "friendly" to Arabs. Israel for the most part is still at war with most Arab countries. There is somewhat of a quiet fear and a bit of hatred. In the mainstream media the more moderate Arab countries like Dubai, Qatar, Tunisia, and Jordan are lumped in with Israel. After all, we are mostly against terrorism and solving the "Palestinian Problem" with violence. Well, it's not that simple. Israel has been essentially hated and attacked by Arabs for longer than the state has had it's own independence. While a minority of Israelis try to stand for Palestinian rights and fight for the wrong that is perpetrated on most Palestinians in the name of a few terrorists, most do not see things this way. For the most part, both Palestinians and Arab countries are still fighting a war with Israel. While the war is sometimes quiet and non-violent, never the less it is there. Maybe the media in Israel and the world is stirring the emotions more than necessary. But still, this is the only country in the world who is being attacked on a regular basis. No Israeli is oblivious to this fact. So for the most part, we may "tolerate" some Arabs, but we mostly don't like them. When Israeli leaders in negotiations and in political speeches say that "first the Palestinians must stop shelling, shooting, and killing" - they pretty much reflect what most of the population really feels - but does not shout out in public - in protests that you would see aired on CNN, ABC, or BBC.

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American style shopping in Natanya - BIG! and somewhat lost in translation.
      Back to the point! When foreigners with good intentions say that they come from Dubai and still "like" Israelis, that does not make most Israelis smile! So when this kind of statement is made in front of 300 Israeli computer scientists they tend to twitch and than TUNE OUT! My advice, don't do it! It may seem like you are a nice guy to come from Dubai and do business in Israel. Maybe to the corporate managers in the US and England it may even seem like this is your little part in the "Peace process". But most Israelis are not ready for it.
Now for the college president comments. She said that meeting with Palestinian women she was amazed how difficult and how little the higher education system in Israel enables them to obtain college degrees. Again, while some Israelis feel that some Palestinian women are totally NOT TO BLAME, we still wonder why there is so much support for terrorism among Palestinians. No terrorist organization could attack so much without popular support. While some Palestinian women are somewhat "innocent", they still allow terrorist organization to organize, arm, and attack Israel. This seems to be the view in Tel Aviv. The truth is, most Israelis do not know what it's like to live in a Palestinian refugee camp, so there is no way of telling what these women say or don't say. But than again, in Ireland, the women are the ones who stopped the IRA (with all due respect to the British, Irish, and international peace effort). So you see, Tel Avivians are not that ignorant or that hateful! We do see the big picture, and it is not as simple as coming here and saying: "we are your friends". Hopefully this is helpful to you business people who come to Israel and try to be politically correct and "friendly".

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ps. these is my take on the situation but it's a result with conversations with a few Israelis and their comments.

At an edge of a boiling vat of sulfur - or just instability

An old friend asked me what is it like to live in Israel, in a political sense. So I tried to remember the last month's newspaper headlines. Every day there is a story about the "Palestinian situation". First it was the attacks from Gaza in the south and what to do about it. Than it was the exchange of prisoners. Than it was the talks through all kind of intermediaries between the Hamas and Hisbollah and Israel. Now it is about the cease fire and who controls it. You get the point, the "situation" is always present here. Politicians have gotten smart, when they don't know what to do they talk around the situation or try to focus the country's attention (or at least the media) at something else. But this woman asks: "why should you care if the Palestinians vote for one Islamic radical or the other"? Adding "In the US we don't care who is in charge in Afghanistan"! So I thought about this for a week. It really disturbed me that I couldn't give her a quick answer. I imagined her calmly sitting in front of a CNN report from Afghanistan showing one bearded soldier shooting at another with total amusement and detachment. After all, the organization and political view of people 1/2 way around the world does not matter that much!

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Taliban in Gaza, the lava is boiling and bubbling... all the time!
Than I realized, they are not 1/2 way around the world for us here in ISRAEL! Aha, I got it! BUT than again, who cares if they are 10 meters away or 10,000 miles away? Aha, you do care, very much. When you can see, hear, smell, and FEEL people, you care, and you notice, and you worry, and you get angry, and you get happy, and, and, and... So that's it! Israel is at an edge of this boiling, bubbling, steaming, cauldron of sulfur - a virtual lava flow of political, military, religious, economic, nationalistic -- and every other form of social category you can imagine. The long view is that the Arab world is modernizing. It has been doing so for about 100 years but still has some ways to go. The nationalist and religious conservative do not want to let go of power easily. This is true everywhere except for the countries that don't have a long history of religious or political power. That's why Qatar, Dubai, and to some extent Kuwait are on opposite side of the modernism spectrum than Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Yemen. The bigger countries, Egypt, Iraq, and Syria seem to be more mixed. And Turkey while certainly Islamic is moderated by close proximity to Europe and its geographic location as a hub between Europe and the Arab world.

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Trucks going - not-going - going - not-going == to Gaza

What does that mean to Israel? Well, we are in the very edge of the lava flow, the sulfur steaming volcano crater, the boiling pool of tar... that's the difference. When you are 1/2 a world away, news of the "situation" are not a big deal. But here we deal with not just the Palestinians, but the Iraqis, Iranian, Saudis, Egyptians, you name it. We deal with the rhetoric on TV, the threats and muscle flexing of every little group coming out of the Arab world. We are the "modern front" which is edging into the "pristine world" the "virgin territory" which the Arabs kept "clean" all these centuries. Well, a little exaggerated, but none the less true. The Arab conservatives see all of the modern world as a threat, but so do the Amish in Pennsylvania and the Indians in the Amazon. Even in Israel there are vestiges of very old cultures. The 'shamranim' are supposedly a group who has connections all the way back to Mosses and the Israelite tribes on this land over 2,500 years ago. But with numbers down to 700 and no real military strength they simply try to keep their culture and life as it is.
Does this help? Just like worrying about a volcano erupting and the lava that will start exploding any day, we keep our ears tuned to rumblings and our nose ready to smell the sulfur. Because that is what you do next to the volcano, a the edge of the crater!

Yekety Yak - Let Them Eaty Horse? or just Rock away...

  1)   The International Herald Tribune last Friday (June 20, '08) ran a story by Michel Johnson that started with the intro: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse". We've all said it but now it's a reality. Johnson reports that horse meat is gaining popularity as the meat of choice in France, China, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. The yack-yack in Tel Aviv is horse meat. We don't eat horse in Tel Aviv. Beef, chicken, lamb, turkey, and some pork - but NO horse meat - I say let's keep it that way, build race tracks and enjoy watching these beautiful animals run - like the wind...

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Life's a beach! End of June in T"A beach, if your hot - get in the water

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  2)   Hot Rock Hits Tel Aviv: The veteran rock band, Blondie is set to make its first visit to Tel Aviv. They are set to play their hit album "parallel lines" from start to finish. Blondie has been very hot in the US and Israel and the show should be a bit hit here. Check with your local ticket agent for dates, venues, and tickets. The music world comes to Tel Aviv -- enjoy retro rock.

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  3)   Friday morning is "go out to breakfast day". You found the place, came early, and now the decision is where to sit. Some tables are round, some are square. Some chairs are big and comfy, some are normal. Better make a choice quick. The place is filling up fast. OK - square table, soft chairs, great view... BRING ON THE FOOD - Yakety yak!!

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  4)   Sugar or NOT - Yakety yak! Ever notice the sugar choices offered at a restaurant? Several packets are real sugar. Some appear in long sticks. Some are white, some are brown, some a bit of a surprise. The substitutes are even more fun. Some taste just like sugar, some are bitter, some are... what is this??? Good luck, yakety yak ;8-)'
sam-D-man and Frakie too - from T"A

Sex in the City - Teenage pregnancy pack in MA

A few days ago Time magazine reported a strange story. In a Gloucester Massachusetts high school 18 young girls age 14 to 17 made it their goal to get pregnant. The question is why? The answer lies in a culture that makes sex a dirty word. This school stopped their sex education program and do not provide free birth control clinics or medication. Add to that a religious community where leaders of all faiths preach high morals based on conservative values and the Bible.
Now we are seeing the tip of the iceberg of a problem religious fanatics and right wing conservatives have created. Girls are developing at younger ages and no politician pandering for votes or preacher's sermon can stop this. As girls develop their sex hormones rage out of control. This biological process is seldom controlled by religious or political views. Ignoring this combination of biology and politics makes for a deadly combination.

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Rugged and individual the famous Gloucester sailor: a "perfect storm" is brewing in Gloucester

Parents sometimes want to shield their children from the harsh reality of life. The church wants to scare the heck out of them with regard to premarital sex. Politicians want votes, specially in a conservative place in economically difficult times. Remember how president Clinton fired Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders for saying that masturbation should not be taboo in sex-ed? If these girls had been taught they can satisfy their sexual drive by masturbation they might not have resorted to vaginal sex. Or if oral sex was not made such a terrible act who knows what might have happened.
Until the time comes when sex is accepted as a part of life, without the religious taboos or right wing political social values, we are going to see more bizarre behavior. Young people do not know any better, they need guidance, direction, and most of all kind support. We must demand for the walls to come down on sex. Teach children about safe sex and alternatives to vaginal sex. Also, we must teach children how to avoid letting "some boy" get them pregnant.
These children have no clue on what's involved in raising and taking care of a baby. They can't imagine the total impact this child will have on their life. These children want sex and someone to love them. If parents really want their children to have a healthy and happy lives, you don't have to shield them from   A L L   the realities of life. The best remedy is just to love them and make sure you instill your best values in them. Be open to conversations about sex. Teach them that sex is good and healthy, but also teach them responsibility.
The high school these girls attend had no sex education or a clinic that provides birth control advice and medication. Now we see the terrible results. Israeli sexual attitudes are more open, we can only hope they are open enough so there will not be copycats all over the world. Sam-D-man from T"A

Mid June Yakin' in Tel Aviv...

1. Israel is a country that produces food at prices that all can afford. When those who suffer deprivation in Africa illegally cross Israel's borders we take them in. Israel provides them with world class medical services, food, shelter, and jobs. Other countries that share their culture mostly reject them. This was true with Asian refugees in the past. Israel will always take in refugees - it's in its DNA.
2. While Arabs in the Palestinian Territories try to kill us, we provide them with electricity, water, oil, and food. When there was tragedy in Burma, a country that calls for our destruction, we freely sent medical aid, food, and drinking water. Israel has rushed aid to all those in need: friend and foe.
3. Tel Aviv is a modern city which provide a vast variety of service for its people. The postal service delivers the mail and our cable TV delivers entertainment. We have a huge variety of food from around the world. It's fun to vacation in Tel Aviv.
4. Barak Obama the presumptive US democratic party nominee made a recent foreign policy statement. In response to questions about Venezuela, North Korea, and Iran, he responded that these are three small insignificant countries. Someone finally got it right. Good show Barak!
5. Jimmy Carter America's worst president has a lot of nerv to be critical of Israel. He keeps on criticizing Israel for the treatment of Palestinians without regard to the situation and the daily terrorist attacks which continue regardless of any political and government activities ON BOTH SIDES! The man who brought the Isramic revolution lead by mullahs to Iran, let 400 US hosteges rot in Iran, AND ruined the American economy - shold be hiding in some corner with his head down in shame. Any advice from you ain't worth a bag of peanuts!

in my humble opinion Sam-D-Man -- fron T"A (that Tel Aviv)

If looks could kill... baeuty and fashion in Tel Aviv

Looking good is important in Tel Aviv. This flies straignt in the face of the very confusing image of the rough and schlumpy Israeli woman. The image that Israeli women tried to portray in the 1950's was of pioneering all can do superwoman. Milk the cows in the morning, raise the kids in the day, guard the border at night. But the city reality of Israeli women was a little different. Fashion and beauty supplies came with Europeans very early on. Whatever Israeli women could not afford local companies made here. Jump forward 50 years to 2008 and the Israeli woman, a mix of every imaginable culture is very much interested in fashion and beauty. There are a dozen Israeli beauty supply companies, some with international reputation. Ahava started out as a Dead Sea specialty company, and Jade is well knows here but a bit of a 'hidden secret' outside Israel.

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A crema counter with samples and plenty to buy.

Let's face it, Tel Aviv is not considered a fashion center. I would say YET! But if you are a woman, this city is nothing to laugh about. It's true that most Israeli designers have looked elsewhere to develop their careers and their businesses. But women still want to look beautiful and there is plenty of products and services to help them. In the beginning of June Tel Aviv hosted a Beauty City 2008 fair. About 30 makeup, hair, and fashion companies gathered at the Tel Aviv fairgrounds and showed off their "product". It turned out to be a mix between a fashion show and a 50% off sale. Let's face it, these little bottles of beauty don't come cheap. Some of the names in the makeup category: Estee Lauder, Lancome, Hugo Boss, Jade, Revlon, Ahava, L'Oreal, and Dove. In the hair section: Wella, Pantene, Nivea, Shuki Zikri, and Gillette.
The big practical attraction was the 50% discount on almost everything on display. This is a big deal for women who like good products but don't like to pay the high prices. The more expensive products from Estee Lauder, Shisheido, Lancome, and Jeanne Piaubert were discounted a little less, but still 20% to 30% was offered.

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Beautiful in design, the Revlon booth.
The fair also offered a fashion show every hour or two. Cloths from Gucci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix, and Dolce & Gabbana were on display worn by about 25 young models. Beuty City 2008 showed also how Israel has grown up in the fashion and beauty area. There are still many international brands who consider this market small and in transition. This is simply the phase Israeli women are going through, both economically and culturally. But the women here definitely want to look and be seen as beautiful. So when the late comers look back at 2008 they may regret not making Israeli women beautiful today. But that again is just a speculation on the future.

Sex in the city - religious control over women

Editor: This is a continuation to the article about "Purity Balls".

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Controlling the sex life of women is just the first step to create a legal and moral system that will again subjugate women. None of these moralist who hide behind the mantra that they want to protect women from degradation and sin make no demands on the vices of men.

Men want to control women's bodies, their right to work, birth control, and sex. If you girls want to be slaves again, check how women are treated by the Taliban in Afghanistan and by the Muslim clerics in Iran. In these cultures, if you date some boy who one of the men in your family does not like, he has the right to kill you. Yes, to kill the woman, NOT the supposedly "offending man". They call it "honor killing". You see, there are many ways to call things, isn't this what George Orwell wrote about all these years ago?

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Muslim Taliban rule control over women's dress

Very religious streams of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam will tell women what cloths to wear, what food to eat, how men can use your body, restrict or forbid the use of birth control, and otherwise take from you, your right to choose how to run your life.

Girls, don't sit back and ignore this - fight for your rights! If you don't, you will loose them all, one by one. The first step will probably be abortion and prostitution. Women have the right to have babies when they want them, and women have the right to have sex when they want (money or not). Fight for your rights!

/sam-D-man / in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv Yakety Monday (June 16) by Sam-D

Palestinian Prime Minister Haniyeh with daughter Sara 2 y.o. (2007/Flickr/LahebAlsamt)
Ismail Haniyeh the drag queen of Hamas say that if Israeli forces enter Gaza it won't be a picnic. He has vowed he will not bring the potato salad.

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Palestinians should have the right to bomb Israel. After all they are only trying to kill Jews and the English Academic Trade Union says that it is OK!

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Wars, politicians, religious disputes come and go, but the important yakety yak in Tel Aviv's bars and cafes is Euro 2008 football championship (soccer for you Americans). Everybody talks and plays Monday morning quarterback for a few days!

Political Yakety Yaking at it's best

Nasralla in action: yackty yaking about politics and truth
Yacking away the day is not just for Tel Aviv cafe loiterers and park bench retirees. Israel political world is buzzing with yacking like never before, seems like this is the season for all sort of political yak. Negotiation to bring back kidnapped soldiers, peace agreement with Syria, new election and accusation of Olmert's corrupt American election bribery... we can go on and on. But notice that the political world is filled with news, interviews, opinion, commentary -- covering everything. On the Palestinian side the yacking heads, lead by the number 1 yacker Nasralla is probably better known AND trusted as an authority than any world personality. Sometimes Nasralla's rhetoric is taken as basic fact: we won the second Lebanon war. No mention of countless destroyed villages, hundreds of casualties - dead and maimed, and completely upturned Lebanese political system that will take decades to heal. Well, hopefully some of us can filter out political yacking from real life and real truth. No rhetoric from any government or pretentious terrorist organization changes the fact that bullets and bombs kill.

Odds & Ends from last week...

1) The word in Tel Aviv is, we now have a BIRD. Israelis crowned the Hoopoe as our national bird (Doo-chi-fat in Hebrew). The Palestinians have vowed to boycott the Hoopoe and ban it from their skies.

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The new Israeli state bird - Hoopoe (Doochifat in Hebrew)

2) The ultra orthodox who run Jerusalem city government fired all it's Jewish workers who answered emergency calls on Shabbat. God forbid a young Jewish student should make a little extra cash.

3) American businessmen should stick to corrupting American politicians and leave us alone. The latest Morris Talansky should give his envelopes to Obama.

4) The right wing religious (who don't serve in the military and don't work) have combined with other short sighted politicians to attempt to block peace agreements with Syria. The people who won't defend or support the country want to lead us to another war.

When the food is too much!

Stopped in to check out new resto-bar near the shook. Main draw: "we have oysters, testicles, and brains!" My wife gave me a look and we left. Went to get a pizza at Pappa's (it was good).

Editor: This area is being gentrified, so young restauranteurs are boldly going where no shook fast food or restaurant went before. Small French looking place, a block from the Carmel Street main shopping area. More to come...

Sex and the city (not a "Sara Jessica Parker" story)

The International Herald Tribune of May 20 reported on the latest sex rage in the US. Fathers and grandfathers are taking their daughters and granddaughters to what are popularly called "Purity Balls". These events are held to indoctrinate young girls that sex is bad, dirty and that you are violating your GOD.

These girls with their father take a covenant that says "I, (daughter’s name)'s father, choose before God to cover my daughter as her authority and protection in the area of purity." (see Wikipedia - Purity Ball) Abstinence is the word. I find this approach discriminatory. No such admonitions are mad as to the men. The idea that sex should be use to control the freedom of women is nothing new. All religions use it to degrade and control.

I am happy to report that life in the Tel Aviv area has not stooped to this cheap maneuver to control the minds and bodies of our women. It is nice to see that men and women are equal when it comes to deciding your sex life.

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See also the NY Times article: Dancing the Night Away, With a Higher Purpose (May 19, 2008) -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/19/us/19purity.html?ex=1368936000&en=c34e4ad599933e50&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Yakety Yak -- Do Talk Back

Remember the Coasters' song Yakety Yak (don't talk back)? It went like:
Take out the papers and the trash
Or you don't get no spendin' cash
If you don't scrub that kitchen floor
You ain't gonna rock and roll no more
Yakety yak (don't talk back)

The song advised a teenager not to talk back when told what to do. Well, we don't seem to have this problem in Israel. Everyone talks back, Yakety Yak -- and it almost does not matter if they live in Israel, have a stake in what is going on here, or even know the finer details. It seems like the freedom of speech and the huge amount of press makes every voice relevant. In reality this is not the case. Not every voice out there is relevant or even makes sense. Actually, most of what we hear is what we call 'Yakety Yak' - a bunch of dribbling nonsense that is confusing, sometimes humiliating, and in general gives us Israelis a bad image. In reality the Yakety Yaking is just that. People talking and getting their opinions out without real dialog or thought about how people in the outside world are going to perceive it. There is also a strange phenomena that we see here in Israel, the total misunderstanding off reality based on a single opinion. We all know that sometimes one voice can change public opinion, both for good and for bad. This certainly seem to be happening here.
There is a well known fact in media that some stories are not true but they are still perceived as real fact. In the US presidential candidates are very careful to answer every false story. They know how quickly public opinion can be set in the wrong position. Sometimes once public precept ion is set in a certain way it is too late or too hard to change it. Sometimes even if the public knows of how a story was not true they still form an opinion, which for the most part is not true. So what? you say, well we like to put out two cents (or agorot) worth. We think that by simply telling people what it is really like here in Israel (Tel Aviv) and what people are really talking and thinking about, Israel will not be so misunderstood. This is specially to politics, security, culture, and religion. So... let's get started with the Yackin'!