Wow, It’s Been a Year Already!

A year ago, on January 22^nd 2011, my wife and I landed in Israel after living 20yrs in California. Moving is never easy. There is stress, time pressure, inconveniences, costs and efforts associated with any move. Some moves may be easier than others, but generally speaking, moving ain’t easy…

Looking For a Gentler ‘Mr. Wheeler’

Three hundred eight five (385) people died in car accidents in Israel during 2011. That’s more than a person a day.  According to Israeli police, the key causes for accidents are: running a red light, unsafe passing, ignoring right of way, not maintaining safety distance, speeding, and disregarding pedestrians. We can’t blame the state of the roads, or the vehicles condition, or the density of cars. There’s one key factor to blame – drivers’ behavior.

When Do I (re)Earn the Right to Criticize?

Israelis love to criticize. It seems to be the national past time. In California people discuss Sunday’s Football game, their last or upcoming vacation, their jobs or the weather. In Israel people discuss politics, argue - and criticize. I know I am making generalizations, but like any generalization, there’s some truth to it…

You Can’t Find Movies Like That In California

Hollywood is the capital of movies, no doubt. Over the past century California led the “fantasy industry” that fed the dreams of millions. But with success came challenges… You cannot attract millions of viewers to a newly released movie unless you aim for common denominators (note: I didn't say the lowest common denominators...).  The pursuit of large audiences and big revenues led Hollywood down the path of tried and proven plots, such as “hero trumps villain”, “boy meets girl”, etc.  No wonder that “special effects” became a huge factor in Hollywood movies. If the stories are the same, then ‘presentation’ is even more important than content.