101 Ways to Divest and Boycott Israel

Posted on July 30, 2008 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Videos | Tags: Tags: , , , | View Comments

So most of the world is sure that Israel is the root of all evil, and that everything would be perfect if we’d just conveniently disappear, thank you very much.

A great way to work towards the goal of disappearing those darn Jews is to divest from Israel, and/or boycott the country. By putting economic strain on Israel, the hope is that we’ll all just give up and jump into the nearest body of water, which in our case would be the Mediterranean Sea (since the Kinneret is really just a puddle by this point).

But where does a budding boycotter begin? The endless options can be overwhelming for a person starting out in a career of Israel divestment. Well, someone has helpfully put together a short video detailing exact steps that can be taken to boycott the Little Satan, such as not wearing any seamless underwear, or in cases of heart attacks don’t use stents. If I wanted to boycott Israel, I know that this video would be my starting point. (Or ending point, depending on how you look at it.)

Update: I just got a really nasty comment, so in case it’s not clear, the above is entirely sarcastic, and the video is a parody on divestors by showing them that they’d basically have to forego technology and their health to properly boycott Israel.

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Teva Pharmaceutical goes bargain hunting, picks up Barr Pharmaceuticals for $7.46b

Posted on July 22, 2008 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Business, Healthcare | Tags: Tags: , , , | View Comments

Teva Pharmaceuticals Logo

According to Haaretz,  Teva has been going on a “little” shopping spree, buying companies as if they were cute pairs of shoes they just had to have. (And FYI, this Teva company has no connection to the Israeli hikers’ beloved Teva sandal co., incidentally made in China.) Recently, Teva purchased Barr Pharmaceuticals, “the fourth largest generic firm in the U.S., for $7.46 billion.” Teva had previously bought “Ivax in January 2006 for $7.4 billion and Sicor in October 2003 for $3.4 billion.” Even though Teva is already the world’s biggest generic drug maker, maxing out its credit cards on all these ‘steals’ will elevate Teva to a “generic powerhouse employing about 37,000 people globally and operating directly in more than 60 countries.”

The big reversal

A quick look at Globes or Techcrunch, will leave you numb from repetitive headlines such as “Company X acquires Company Y for Z million dollars”. However, if these headlines refer to Israel, it’s usually because an American company is buying out an Israeli hi-tech startup. Just search for “Microsoft buys Israeli startup” in Google and you’ll see what I mean. Here’s a few examples of startups Microsoft has bought lately:

But Teva’s takeover has turned the tables proving that an Israeli company can buy out a huge US company. And, at 7.46b, it’s mighty impressive!

 

Israel is selling snow?!

Posted on July 21, 2008 • By Rebecca Markowitz
Category: Featured, Technology | Tags: Tags: , , , , | View Comments

Skiing

Anyone who’s been to Israel knows that catching a glimpse of snow is rare, and even a welcomed treat. Come to think of it, I’ve never even met anyone in Jerusalem who owns a shovel. Perhaps a longing to play in the snow has pushed IDE Technologies to become a major player in the man-made snow market.

First Tracks , an online ski magazine reports that IDE Technologies , based in Tel Aviv, is introducing unique refrigeration technology to produce man-made snow.  The ice technology was originally developed for seawater desalination in the most unlikely place – the hottest, your-face-will-melt-right-off, beach city of Eilat in southern Israel.

So what makes Israel’s snowmaker so much better than the rest? It works regardless of the season or air temperature, ensuring ski resorts can open up  the slopes for an early ski season, and obviously early profits are not far behind.

Existing snowmaking technologies spray tiny water droplets into the air, which freeze into crystals before reaching the ground. Such technologies depend upon ambient temperatures being at or below freezing, depending on humidity. IDE’s snowmaking facilities produce large quantities of snow regardless of air temperature.

If you’re interested in getting your own snowmaker, it’ll only cost you a mere $2 million. Now paying the ski resorts doesn’t seem quite as expensive, does it?

[photo by: bevcraigwhite ]

 

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