90 Turkish Journalists and Editors to Come to Israel in Hasbara Campaign

A delegation of 90 journalists and editors from the Turkish media will arrive in Israel on Sunday, in an initiative by construction company Yilmazler to increase awareness and Israeli-Turkish relations, according to Ice.co.il (sorry, it’s in Hebrew).

The delegation will include representatives from the important dailies in Turkey, including Sabah, Star, Turkish Daily News, and Reuters in Turkey, as well as representatives from TV stations and agencies including TGRT, Channel D, ATV, Show TV, Dogan, and Cihan. They will be joined by representatives from dozens of weekly magazines such as Economist, Tempo, and Aktual. The journalists will be the guests of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will visit Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

The owner of Yilmazler, a Turkish business man named Ahmet Raiz Yilmaz, has been working tirelessly for years to assist Israel-Turkish relations. The company has had many building projects around Israel and is the only Turkish company to be operating in Israel for 13 years. Among others, it built the square Azrieli building in Tel Aviv.

Israeli TV Format Picked Up by CBS – Pilot Ordered

Exciting news! CBS has ordered a pilot based on the successful Israeli TV show The Mythological Ex (direct translation from Hebrew- האקס המיתולוגי). If picked up, this will be the first Israeli series to be broadcast on network television in Israel.

Preceding this show are several other formats, among them In Treatment, which is in production and currently broadcast on HBO.

The fact that CBS ordered a pilot is even more impressive considering the fact that they announced they will be reducing the number of pilots taped due to the writers strike. Casting has already begun, even though the script itself has yet to be written.

It’s important to note that although a pilot will be taped, this is no guarantee that the show will be picked up by network. Generally speaking, Hollywood studios only tape additional episodes after the pilot has been approved.

The Mythological Ex is about a woman who goes to a fortune teller and is told that her true love is one of her exes. She proceeds to go out on dates with each of her exes in an effort to find out which one is The One.

Microsoft Acquires Israeli Start-Up YaData

 YaData provides advanced tools for the discovery of unique customer segments. Its technology will enable Microsoft to provide its advertisers with richer targeting capabilities so they can connect with their audience more efficiently and in more engaging ways, while providing more relevant and focused ads to its customers.

The YaData team will join the Microsoft’s R&D center in Herzelia.

It’s always wonderful to hear about another successful exit for an Israeli company. Way to go!

You can read the entire press release here.

Israel Helps Find New Solar System

On the heels of a difficult day in southern Israel, and what looks to be another one today, an international team of scientists, including astronomers from Tel Aviv University, have found a “twin” of our own solar system, reveals Science magazine.

I’m very proud of this achievement, but since I don’t understand a thing about astronomy, I am leaving you with a link to the article that appeared in the Jerusalem Post.

1 Killed, Over 40 Rockets Launched at Israel

Over 40 rockets were launched at Israel yesterday from Gaza. One of them hit Sapir College and killed a student, Roni Yechiah, a father of four who underwent kidney transplant surgery several years ago. Several more were treated for wounds.

Earlier yesterday, a rocket hit a poultry factory and later a rocket fell just outside of a Carlsberg beer factory. Several rockets also landed in Ashkelon, one of them landing near a hospital’s helicopter pad.

Hamas – yes, yes, Palestinian government Hamas – claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks.

Sderot to Receive Benefits – Maybe…

You’ve gotta love messed up governments. MK Silvan “Steve” Shalom proposed a new bill that would grant small businesses in Sderot and other towns close to Gaza that have been hit by Qassams several benefits. These include various tax benefits, monetary compensation, and permission to receive extra credit (not the school kind) for businesses who have lost much of their income due to the present situation.

Sounds good, right? Not so much, apparently. The official government position was against it – but the Knesset passed the bill in the first round (of three to get a bill approved in Israel). Even some of the MKs who are in the coalition voted for the bill. Many abstained. 34 voted for the legislation, and 22 voted against. Which means that 64 (!!!) MKs either abstained or did not show up to vote on the bill. In case you don’t know, there are 120 Mks.

I guess they were too busy accompanying former MK Omri Sharon to jail, where he will be serving a 7-month sentence for corruption and fraud connected to his father’s election bid (former PM Ariel Sharon, whose 80th birthday was yesterday).

Best Airport in the Middle East!

An international quality survey found Israel’s Ben Gurion airport to the be the best in the Middle East. It was ranked best passenger terminal in the Middle East, and second in the world in the category of 5-15 million passengers, only behind Central Japan.

Accoring to Ynet, the ASQ rankings are based on the results from nearly 200,000 questionnaires completed by passengers in 2007. The survey captures the passenger’s immediate appraisal of 34 airport service factors, from check-in through to departure at the gate.

Lights Out, Tel Aviv!

On March 29, 2008, at 8 PM local time (GMT-2), Tel Aviv will go dark for an hour.

Tel Aviv has joined a growing list of countries and organizations who have joined Earth Hour, a worldwide campaign meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Earth Hour is the initiative of the World Wildlife Fund and began in Sydney, Australia last March, when the lights in Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House were turned off for an hour, along with 2.2 million Australians who did the same in their home. This initiative alone reduced energy consumption by about 10%.

Tel Aviv joins cities such as Chicago, Dublin, Sydney, Toronto, Phoenix, San Fransisco, Atlanta, and Copenhagen.

If you’d like more information about how to join the initiative, visit the Earth Hour website.

I love Israel

This post is representative of why I love Israel. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m a dweeb. Whatever.

Reprinted from A Soldier’s Mother.

Even the Bus Drivers Love Them

Yesterday, while driving to a special course in the north, Elie received a phone call from one of the other participants in the Commanders Course telling him (as the soldier responsible for knowing where everyone is) that the soldier had forgotten his backpack on a bus. He was calling to tell Elie that he was going to try to catch another bus to catch up with his backpack.

Elie gave him permission simply by telling him to update him to let him know what was happening. In yet another very Israeli story -after the phone call, the soldier jumped on the next bus and explained to the driver what had happened. Soldiers get free buses and trains to almost anywhere in Israel and so they don’t hesitate or worry about the number of rides they take.

Maria Sharapova loves us!

Move over, Black Eyed Peas, cause we know where the love is!

Maria Sharapova, who recently came to Israel for work purposes (work = grunting in Ramat Hasharon and beating local sensation Shahar Peer), has reportedly purchased a luxurious penthouse just south of Netanya (a city that’s on the sea, basically).

I hope she didn’t buy it thinking people in Israel are always grunting...

The French love us!

Okay, not really, but they appreciate us. Last month Vogue magazine in Paris published 3 great articles praising Tel Aviv. Vogue magazine said that Tel Aviv is “a suitable place of refuge for the young fashionable French woman desiring a vacation.”

Well strap my face to the side of a pig and roll me in the mud – I didn’t think I’d live to see the day. Next you’ll be telling me that the rockets the Palestinians have been launching at us are actually Piñata‘s and we’ve been forgetting to see what candy is inside.

Specifically, Vogue called Tel Aviv exciting and vigorous, and full of style. Clearly parking wasn’t a criteria in grading the city.

The magazine recommended four restaurants: Benny Hadayag,  Mul Yam, Nana, and the Suzanna cafe, which I’ve totally been to – does that make me cool and French?

The Vogue article comes just a few months after New York Magazine named Tel Aviv as one of the best places to visit for a 4-day trip (they didn’t mean the time it takes to get here and back).  By a few months, of course, I mean a year. The New York Magazine article mentions Betty Ford (the restaurant, not the clinic or the person) as one of the best places to eat. I eat there all the time – I had lunch there today. Does this make me cool too? Am I going through a revolution?

Syrians love Israel!

Okay, so I’m slightly exaggerating, considering Paula Abdul is only 1/4 Syrian.

In case you aren’t aware of the rockets being launched at Israel, specifically Sderot,  the Palestinians have been launching Qassam rockets at Israel for years now and on a daily basis. More rockets have been launched since the beginning of 2008 than in all of 2007, and they have taken lives of men, women, and children alike.

Anyway, as a launch for Israel’s 60th birthday celebrations, this Tuesday (Feb. 25)  there will be a benefit concert in Los Angeles for the city of Sderot which has had rockets launched at it literally every day. Paula Abdul will be hosting the benefit concert, and many celebs, including Sylvester Stalone and Jon Voight, and will also feature a performance by Ninet Tayeb (who I love even though I’m not 12).

10 students from Sderot have been flown in to LA as guests of honor and they got to dine with Ninet, visit LA landmarks such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the school that inspired 90210 in Beverly Hills. They will also be attending an NBA game and be given a tour of Universal Studios.

I’m back – hopefully

I’ve received many emails from some of my loyal readers and many new ones who happened upon the site asking why I haven’t updated the site in close to a year. Between work and personal problems, I just couldn’t find the time (or energy) to update the blog.

I’m back though, but I am going to make a slight change to my blog. I will still be bringing you all the great news about Israel, and what kinds of great things are going on in the country. But I want this to be a happy blog, not a crying blog. While I feel the need to represent my country and show what we’re really like, I don’t want to get into huge ideological discussions that cannot be won by anyone.

This isn’t to say that I won’t be posting controversial materials, nor does it mean that I won’t be posting “news” events (such as the enormous amount of rockets launched at Israel), but it will no longer be the focus.

That said, I’d like to point y’all towards my friend’s blog at http://www.whatwarzone.com. Benji is a hilarious comedian, and if you’re an American Israeli – or any type of oleh hadash (new immigrant) – it’s a great read.

I’ll be posting some recent news soon. Thanks everyone for your concern and emails and desire for more information.

Have a wonderful Monday! (In Israel, Monday is like Tuesday – Tuesday is humpday!)