IDF (Israel Defense Forces), Wishes its Supporters Around the World a Happy and Meaningful ‪Thanksgiving‬!

Source: IDF Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/idfonline/photos/a.250335824989295.62131.125249070831305/891606674195537/?type=1&theater

Cast of "House" visits Israel

Cute Israeli TV Promo for Trinny & Susannah coming soon to dress Israel

Israel's answer to the "Obama Girl" youtube video clip: "The Livni Boy"

And here’s another one in a slightly different vain--a real LOL campy take-off of the original Obama Girl, with all the sexy trappings (Israeli style) for some young Likud MK candidate

Tel Aviv Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Gay Pride Parade

Tel Aviv adorned it’s main boulevards this past week with rainbow colored flags as revelers of all persuasions streamed along the main route of the city’s 10th annual gay pride parade that converged at Gordon Beach, one of the city’s central beach fronts, for a free outdoor concert. As usual for this annual parade, gays and lesbians weren’t the only ones out celebrating. Tel Avivans of all ages and statuses were out embracing the event, the community, and the festivities. All of which made for a colorful love fest of freedom of expression in a city that enjoys celebrating its unbridled spirit, diversity and a good beach party.

It should be duly noted that in stark contrast, homosexuality is a crime under the Palestinian Authority, where Gay’s are persecuted and sent to jail. Similarly in Egypt gay men can be sentenced anywhere from 3 and up to 25 years for homosexuality. And in general, the status of gays and lesbians in the Arab and Muslim world is for the most part a dire one.

Some photos I snapped at the event:

Click on any photo for a larger view. The entire album can be viewed here

Some more photos from other people can be found on Flickr by clicking here and here -- don't miss the Israeli soldier girl with a rainbow flag in her shirt pocket

Israeli Cows are Greenest in the World

Dalia Mazori of Ma’ariv reported last week (28.02.2008) that Israeli cows were awarded "The Most Environmentally Friendly Cows" at the annual conference of International Dairy Federation (IDF). Dr. Yisrael Palmenbaum explained that the methane gas emitted by cows, is caused from the fermentation of food in the cows digestive system. Israeli cows are fed a rich diet of seeds as opposed to their counterparts in New Zealand and other grazing countries, that feed on a lot of green fiber, which takes much longer to digest causing more methane gas in the process.

Israeli Singer Accompanies the MacBook Air Commercial

VC Café the tech-blog that tracks Israeli tech startup news from a Silicon Valley perspective reports that the woman's voice behind the Apple MacBook Air commercial is 29 year old Israeli singer Yael Naim: Israeli singer serenades launch of MacBook Air. The article goes on to say that Yael was born in Paris to Tunisian parents who immigrated to Israel when she was 4 years old.

12-year-old Kfar Sava girl defeats 20 men (in chess tournament)

Ha'aretz reports this weekend on this cute story: click here for the full original article. Following is an excerpt and highlight from the story:

...
The most important official event of the tournament took place on Tuesday in a long row of chess games played by grandmasters from Israel, Ukraine, Poland and Germany. At the same time, dozens of Jews and Arabs participated in the Galilee competition, which offered $20,000 in total prize money.

But most of the spotlight was on a simultaneous exhibition match between a 12-year-old Israeli girl, Marsel Efroimski, and 20 chess players seated next to each other who waited anxiously for the young girl's fast-paced moves. Efroimski, the child of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, lives in Kfar Sava and is a seventh grade student. She says that since age eight, she has been playing chess. Her inspiration and her primary influences came from her father and grandfather.

"Chess is a game that requires a lot of thought," Efroimski said. "I know that it's not a game that draws crowds, but it's a very interesting game and in Ma'alot-Tarshiha, there were actually people who were interested and came to watch the games or participate."

The 20 courageous players did not stand much of a chance against the girl who in November was crowned the world youth chess champion in the under-12 girls category at the championships that were held in Turkey. The title earned her an invitation to receive the congratulations of President Shimon Peres.

Within an hour of beginning the chess matches at the community center in Ma'alot-Tarshiha, 20 victories were credited to Efroimski, who stood throughout the entire competition, as is customary, and merely sprinted from one chessboard to the next.

New Bezeq TV Ad: Invites us to Come Rediscover Home

The video ad takes viewers on a series of candid family scenes, where one family member stumbles by chance on some unexpected and poignant moment of another family member. These small stolen observations, unveil something new about those closest to them. The voice over at the end of the clip says: "one can always discover something new about those closest to us". Bezeq telecom, Israel's oldest and leading land line provider, invites viewers to come rediscover home (the implication being the new unexpected land line offerings)

More Israeli TV Commercials

By Noam Rotem
Local cellular carrier Cellcom advertises it’s new on-the-second billing where you only pay for the exact amount of seconds you talked. Ad includes quintessentially Israeli scenes depicting of how when ones says: “just a second” they don’t literally mean a second. The tag being: in life, not always is a second really a second but at cellcom it really is


Back in Passover local cellular carrier Pelephone ran a seasonal ad for surprise prizes for all its customers for the holiday. Playing off of the Passover tradition where children search for the Afikoman towards the end of the Seder, which are then redeemed for prizes by the Seder host. The ad is accompanied by a Ladino rendition of one of the children songs from the Passover Seder.



In a more recent Pelephone summer campaign for free sms’s from abroad to Israel--provides reason enough for an EL AL flight to turn around with the tagline being: looking for an excuse to return abroad ...?


Finally the local McDonald’s franchise pokes fun at Israeli taxis driver’s English skills by having one call up to ask how do you say McDonald’s in English (it’s the same in Hebrew) in order to promote their freshly cut Arabic style salad now to be found at your local Israeli McDonald’s

Summer Heat Wave: US Presidential Campaign Heats Up...with Babe Videos

Talk about a hot campaign season, it's hard not to smile and have some summer fun with the latest American Political banter to hit YouTube with “Hott4Hill”, “I Got a Crush on Obama” and “Obama Girl vs Giuliani Girl”, the latter 2 courtesy of BarelyPolitical.com (http://www.barelypolitical.com/)

Hott4Hill, self produced by 21-year-old Taryn Southern for fun (and fame), is the cuter and more intelligent of the two in my view. Her brightness clearly shines in this interview with Chris Matthews (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxemPw2mEwg).



I Got a Crush on Obama


Obama Girl vs Giuliani Girl

Bulgarian Music Idol Contestant Sings Naomi Shemer

Israel Radio 2 on its Friday morning weekly cultural and entertainment magazine had a cute tidbit regarding the Bulgarian Version of American (Music) Idol where contestants chose to sing songs in foreign languages from around the world, and one of them chose an old quintessential Israeli folk-classic by Naomi Shemer: The Eucalyptus Grove. Despite a few small mispronounced words here and there, this is very sweet:

חורשת האקליפטוס - כוכב נולד בולגרי - Funny blooper videos are here

Israeli Models

Please note videos might be preceded by a brief ad

Israeli Supermodel--Bar Refaeli: Sports Illustrated Debut


Actress Rotem Sela kisses cute reporter from leading Israeli entertainment show


Roni Superstar: teen music idol-cum-nubile model


Ana Aronov (on right)--Russian Israeli Dance instructor-cum-Celebrity on account of her performances on the local edition of “Dances with the Stars” talks with Russian Israeli reporter Natasha Mozgovaya

Israeli Television Commercials

Pesek Zman (“Timeout”) Candy Bar: playing on ideas of creation, ceativity, and a divineness of a timeout from creation and ceativity



Actimel Probiotic Drink: “You’ve got a friend in me”: When you love someone you want to protect them



Mei Eden (Eden Water), mineral water: 70% of you body is water. What water do you fill your body with?



Orange Cell Phone Carrier: Tagline: When someone is special to you, you go to lengths to surprise them



Local Cable Provider "Hot": provides a "Hot Babe" to promote it's VOD (Video on Demand) Service, which also includes TV series. Playing on a divorce scene the Tagline is: "It's so simple to finish chapter 1 when chapter 2 is already awaiting you...



Local cellular carrier "Pelephone": Tagline: "we wanted to remind you that during Hannukah miracles do happen..." as part of the thier sales promotion for free SMS messages during the Festival of Lights :)