Newsweek asks: Who Exports the Most TV to the U.S.?
Posted on June 30, 2008 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Art and Culture | Leave a Comment
Your choices (think very carefully…)
A. Italy
B. Sweden
C. Israel
D. India
You may not have guessd it, but Newsweek confirms that the winner is Israel! I’m not sure the last time I saw a Swedish-based show, so it may not have been a very tough competition. Regardless, Israel is starting to appear in Hollywood headlines by contributing shows such as “B’tipul (In Treatment)” and “The Ex List”. Apparently “too dark” for Americans, these shows are being adapted to American tastes and then produced.
“In Treatment” is a drama about a “therapist and his demanding clientele” , and was adapted by HBO. CBS will be premiering “The Ex List”, “a romantic comedy about a woman who learns from a psychic that she has already dated—and broken up with—her soulmate, and if she can’t narrow him down from her lengthy roster of suitors, she’ll spend life as a spinster.”
Other shows that are in the works are “A touch away” based on “Merhak Negia”, “a story of forbidden love between an Orthodox Jewish woman and a Russian immigrant” and “Loaded,” a ‘comedy about a quartet of dotcom millionaires”.
Not only are Hollywood studios impressed with Israel’s clever screenwriting, but they are truly blown away by our budgeting skills, claiming that Israelis make TV shows on less than a shoestring budget. Now that is something I can vouch for - just watch me in the Jerusalem Shuk(outdoor market). Give me 10 shekels, and I’ll come back with 3 bags of fruits and veggies. Hey, I think I’m on to some promising new titles, “America’ Next Top Bargainer” “Pimp my Agala” (Agala = granny shopping cart), the list goes on. HBO, if you’re reading this, remember who thought of it first.
Joke: Why it’s better for Jews to read the Arab papers
Posted on June 24, 2008 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Jokes | 1 Comment
Here’s a joke that’s been going around the web for a while, but I thought I’d share:
A Jewish man was sitting in Starbucks reading an Arab newspaper. A friend of his, who happened to come in the same store, noticed this strange phenomenon.
Very upset, he approached him and said: “Moshe, have you lost your mind? Why are you reading an Arab newspaper?”
Moshe replied, “I used to read the Jewish newspapers, but what did I find? Jews being persecuted, Israel being attacked, Jews disappearing through assimilation and intermarriage, Jews living in poverty.
So I switched to the Arab newspaper. Now what do I find? Jews own all the banks, Jews control the media, Jews are all rich and powerful, Jews rule the world.
The news is so much better!”
israelplug now featured on alltop.com, and the Israeli hockey jersey
Posted on June 17, 2008 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Social media | 3 Comments
Today as on every day, I conducted my usual social media time wasting activities before getting down to work. One of my daily activities is to check what’s going on in the twitterverse (i.e. the world of twitter). Many of you have probably heard of twitter, but have no clue what it is. Fear not, you are not alone. Twitter is a place where people “microblog,” which means that you can post there, but your posts cannot be longer than 140 characters. You can follow people, and then you see what they’re saying, and people can follow you. Sounds like a waste of time? It can be, depending on how you use it, but I think this story will show you how it can be useful.
Here’s a short video that hopefully can give you a better idea of what twitter is all about:
Anyways, included in the 125 people that I follow on twitter is Guy Kawasaki, who writes the excellent How to Change the World blog, and founded and manages Alltop.com, a very useful site that collects content from around the web on various topics. (He also does tons of other stuff including venture capital, authoring books, etc.)
ANYWAY, I logged in to twitter and saw that Guy had just created a new Alltop page for Israel. I wrote to him on twitter and asked him if he could add israelplug…and he did! So now we are featured on the Israel Alltop page. Assuming that a lot of people visit the Alltop site, that means good traffic and links for israelplug. Hurray!
On another topic, but an important one for hockey fans, Guy also mentioned that he played hockey with an Israeli, and even has an Israeli hockey jersey! Well, who ever heard of an Israeli hockey jersey, so I asked him to see a picture of it. Here it is:
And now, since every thing must have a lesson or a purpose, here are some action items for you readers:
- Check out http://israel.alltop.com.
- Come meet me on twitter: http://twitter.com/miriamschwab.
Stephen Colbert congratulates Israel on new national bird and kosher giraffes
Posted on June 15, 2008 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Environment | Leave a Comment
As many of you may have heard, Israel recently selected a new national bird: the Hoopoe, or “Duchifat” in Hebrew. I have no idea what the logic was behind this choice, since the Hoopoe is specified as unclean in the Bible and therefore not kosher, but bird fans say the Hoopoe is a kind, monogamous creature that takes good care of its kids. Sounds like a lot of Jewish mothers I know.
Despite its kind nature, the Hoopoe apparently has some disgusting habits, and Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report had a lot to say about it. He suggested that Israel adopt the Hoopoe’s defense tactics on the Golan Heights: squirting fecal matter at intruders. He also congratulated the Jews on a new addition to the kosher menu: giraffe. Yum yum.
Iran bets on dinosaurs, Buffet bets on Israeli brains
Posted on June 10, 2008 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Financial | Leave a Comment
Thomas Friedman posed a question to his readers earlier this week in The New York Times:
What do America’s premier investor, Warren Buffett, and Iran’s toxic president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have in common? Answer: They’ve both made a bet about Israel’s future.
Yet again, Ahmadinejad announced that Israel would be wiped off the map. Friedman says that ironically, he heard this declaration while exiting Iscar’s headquarters in northern Israel - Iscar being Warren Buffett’s first and largest international investment.
The deal to buy 80% of Iscar closed a few days before Hezbollah started bombing northern Israel in July 2006, putting the company at serious risk. Friedman asked Iscar’s chairman, Eitan Wertheimer, what Buffett’s reaction was to the rockets landing in the vicinity of his new investment.
Buffett just brushed it off with a wave, recalled Wertheimer: “He said, ‘I’m not interested in the next quarter. I’m interested in the next 20 years.’ ”
Why is Buffett betting on Israel? Friedman lists some impressive details about Israel’s economy, including the fact that tiny Israel attracts the third-highest amount of venture capital after the US, coming in after China and before India. On the other hand, Friedman says that Iran has invented nothing of importance since the Islamic Revolution.
So who should you bet on? Friedman says he’d long Iran, and short Israel, since Iran’s might depends solely on dwindling sources of fossil fuels, while Israel’s strength is entirely dependent on a sustainable, endlessly renewable resource: its people’s brains.
So who do you bet on?
“I’m with Buffett,” Friedman ends off, “I’ll bet on the people who bet on their people - not the people who bet on dead dinosaurs.”
[Via Israel Newsletter]
Israel’s national anthem circa 2008
Posted on June 1, 2008 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Videos | 1 Comment
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I actually tear up every time I’m at a ceremony or event where Hatikva, Israel’s national anthem, is played. You’d think I’d get over it already, but the ideas in the song are just so…profound, and you get the feeling that when everybody’s singing it, they really mean it.
“We still haven’t lost our hope, the hope of 2000 years…to be a free nation in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.”
(sniff)
Anyways, apparently I’m not the only one who gets emotional. Treppenwitz says he does too, and he has posted a video of a new version of Hatikva created by a French singer called Francky Perez, a wedding singer (one of my favorite movies), and a backup band called Broadway. It combines soul, rap, and more to create a truly moving and exciting version of our decades old anthem.
So bring out the tissues (or just laugh and point at me), and click play:
Wired Magazine Acknowledges Sabra Tech
Posted on May 29, 2008 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Technology | Leave a Comment
Although it might sound kind of scary, “The Danger Room”, is a special section of Wired Magazine focusing on technology for national security with a special category dedicated to Israel, called “Sabra Tech“. I wonder if anyone besides the author of this section, Noah Shachtman, actually knows what the heck Sabra Tech means. The section started at the end of April 2008 with an article about special army robots, “Israel’s newest soldier” that can see at night, navigate alone through cities and traffic intersections, patrol borders, scan 360 degrees, and alert officers if it identifies anything suspicious.
Sabra Tech also features flying robotic ambulances (too cool for words) and dogs that are trained to patrol and guard jails. Wired gets a big high five for reporting on Israeli technology for avid robotic fans and Israel fans alike.
Tourism in Israel is growing fast with big plans for even bigger numbers
Posted on May 28, 2008 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Business, News, Social | Leave a Comment
Not only is Israel breaking Guiness World Records for largest amount of people saying Hatikvah simultaneously, largest national flag, and the World’s largest Humus plate, we also keep breaking previous tourist records. According to the Ministry of Tourism, in April of 2008 alone, there were 290,000 tourists, a 41% increase over April 2007 and 26% over April 2006.
But the Ministry of Tourism has set its goals much, much higher, hoping to bring 5 million tourists in 2012. The Director of Tourism Shaul Tzemach is already nervous about a room shortage. As they say, that should be our worst problem! Anyone want to rent out their apartment for a few days? I volunteer. Tourists usually mean m-o-n-e-y. I say, bring it.
You know what this major increase in tourism will mean for Israel, don’t you? More hotels which means more construction! And Israelis just love construction and detours. There are 90 million shekels going towards encouraging tourism and millions more for the construction of more hotels in Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee area, Acre, Ashdod, Kiryat Shmona and the Upper Galilee. That brings the total cost to 1 billion shekels. The number feels too big to comprehend and reminds me of Austin Powers’ Dr. Evil suggesting the largest amount he could fathom “1 milllliion dollars”.
Canadian Prime Minister Harper strongly supports Israel on 60th birthday
Posted on May 26, 2008 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Videos | 1 Comment
I was born and raised in Canada. From what I remember, Canada’s leaders tended to not be very remarkable, and their attitude towards Israel ranged from uncaring, to hostile.
Well, apparently Canada’s now got a Prime Minister with guts. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is not afraid to laud Israel’s achievements, and provide unconditional support for Israel’s security and right to exist - a move that he admits is unpopular, but he stands behind nonetheless.
And he can even speak French. Although it’s Canadian French, so I’m not sure if it counts.
Here’s his speech at an event in honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary:
Presidents Discussing Tomorrow
Posted on May 25, 2008 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Art and Culture | 2 Comments
Here are some interesting ideas that were raised during the President’s Conference. First, I’d like to start with the opening session, titled “Presidents Discussing Tomorrow.” I’m only reviewing the Presidents that I thought were most interesting, so here goes, organized by speaker:
Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the UK, currently on a quest for peace
Tony Blair opened up with a discussion on peace and democracy. He basically said that democracy, equality and justice are the solutions to all the world’s problems, and that we should be “open in hope, not closed in fear.” There was one problem with what he said: he said that no two democracies have ever attacked each other. My wise husband pointed out that Germany was a democracy, whether we like it or not, and they certainly attacked a few democracies, Britain included. Oh well, it was a nice thought. Read more»
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