Monday, September 27, 2010

Go to Gaza

In Israel there is an old saying: "Go to Gaza". In a case somebody did something irritating to someone else, this colorful sentence would have been used vividly. But things have changed around here. Gaza, that for years had a reputation of being a hell hole hasn't really changed much, what did change is the fact that more and more bleeding heart Israelis WANT to go to Gaza.
As you are reading this blog there is a new ship on rout to Gaza and on it are Israelis and American Jews. This time the ship supposedly (again) has no weapons on board, instead it only carries a speech which the people on board will read out loud to our soldiers calling them to refuse "illegal" orders.
This blogger's opinion is: Lets send a destroyer to welcome them into our territorial waters with a big banner saying: "GO TO GAZA", but first of course, take them on a tour of our prison system and show them what it feels like to refuse orders



Friday, September 17, 2010

Do you believe

Yom Kippur is upon us and with it come deep thoughts (at least for my daughter), existential thoughts, about why do people fast and why doesn't anyone drive or why do people believe and of course do you (me that is)!? Now, trying to explain to a 5 year old isn't easy (and not because she is not smart enough to understand), the fasting element is easy and even the absent of driving, but try to explain the part about believing or lack of and you find your self making excuses and of course blaming the entire clan before you for why you don't. After wiggling for and hour, you hear you daughter saying: "when I grow up I don't want to believe to". Now you don't really know how to feel about it let alone how to react. Do you react like a proud dad, happy that your child is following your footsteps or you start another long conversation about why it is best to understand before actually deciding on such matters. Well of course yours truly started the extra debate, that surprisingly went OK and we decided not to decide. But then I remembered we forgot to talk about asking for forgiveness.
So I am really not sorry for not fasting and I am not sorry (sis) for not believing I should be sorry.
But I do believe in something, I believe I never did anything to anyone that justifies me going on a hunger strike .
Gmar Htima Tova and remember: The truth is out there

Sunday, September 12, 2010

To whom it may concern

I often wonder who is the person behind: To whom it may concern.
Who does he think he is and why is all the secrecy?
I just had to send a business proposal for work I wish to get and the e-mail was of course titled:
To whom it may concern. Now if the work is real and the person behind it is real, why not just identify oneself? We on the other hand state our name (it's actually the first thing we do) very clearly. I do hope this thing it not an Israeli thing and all of us, all over suffer from it (you know, misery prefers company). But seriously, I think it just looks unprofessional. You are looking to hire someone or start working with him so what is the point of all this, why not come clean?!
I figured it out... To whom it may concern, actually means:
Are you ready?
I don't really want to talk to you and I probably won't even read your mail, but sent it anyway because, well, it doesn't concern you

Monday, September 6, 2010

Market...ing


Marketing: the process by which companies create customer interest in goods or services.
Walking through the Market (any market that is) one can't help wondering, is marketing redundant or is it just a tool for the rich. The only kind of marketing you can hope to find in the market is "direct marketing" at best, which of course appears in the form of the shouting of the vendors. But, how dose it work? I know for a fact some people (including yours truly) love going to the market, regardless of the low costs. So, what is it then, and is marketing indeed a thing of the past? Well as an advertiser I don't think so. On the contrary, I think the market developed (without any intent) a different form of marketing which lacks any strategy, I call it ING (marketing).
The market became a brand, and this brand even has a U.S.P (unique selling proposition - to those of you who live outside the advertising bubble). If you ask any one, what does the market stand for, I am sure that the low prices wouldn't be at the top of their mind. The atmosphere, the smells, the hustle and bustle lets call it a different shopping experience and oh yes it is cheaper. But still without any marketing and advertising how do the people know about all that?
Well another form of marketing is of course M.T.E (mouth to ear), this form of marketing seems to work wonderfully in this case. So I think we can all agree that the market implements the best form of marketing:
Free and Profitable.
The only problem is, you can't use it, because actually it uses you








Saturday, September 4, 2010

The art of noise

I don't know if you can relate (although most of you are either as old as me or just young family men/women) but for a family man, Saturday mornings are supposed to be all about sleeping in and relaxing. Well... tell this to my kids. So, you wake up earlier than the birds and your relaxed Saturday starts off with, DAD I want SHOKO. Of course by then the other energizer wakes up and joins the fun, DAD I want SHOKO. Now, usually that's not a big deal but remember it's Saturday and this is only the beginning. Now you think to your self: "what are we going to do today?", since we have a new house staying in sounds nice, but we can't stay by ourselves, so, "who are we going to invite?" After an hour or two you find your self still at home, it's 10 o'clock, your friends came over and now you got five, not two, midgets running around you with a strange craving to destroy something. So after awhile you decide with your friends, "we need an outlet for this erupting energy, plus it's getting time to eat " (of course we are not about to destroy the our new home while doing so) so we all decide it will be wiser to eat out. Hmmmmm true, your house stays intact, but your sanity doesn't. After lunch at a restaurant with Dennis the menace and Co. you go back home to salvage what's left of your "relaxing" Saturday (or that's what you think). Now, It's shower time (if they agree of course), a bit of T.V. and we are of to bed. It's half past nine and your wife gets out of their bedroom with a face that's saying: " I hope you are self sufficient".
Finally, around ten you have your Saturday back, the kids are in bed sleeping and your wife is on the sofa, sleeping and all you can think of while zapping through the channels is:
"Thank god it's Sunday tomorrow, I can have some rest at work"

6:40: DAD I want SHOKO

Great minds...