Close Encounters of the Police kind

I have been a volunteer traffic police officer for almost 6 months now. I usually do my shifts on Thursday evening, roaming the streets of southern Tel-Aviv and Jaffa. I ride in a police car with a regular traffic officer, and together we try to bring some order to the chaotic traffic scene of southern Tel-Aviv. I have been involved in stopping and occasionally ticketing dozens of drivers so far, from all walks of life. Depending on your point of view, these “close encounters” can be either entertaining, or a sad view of society.

Steve Jobs - the Power of Passion

I just finished reading the biography of Steve Jobs. I happened to read the electronic version on my iPad, just as Steve would have liked it. I am not the type that gets easily impressed, but I found this book captivating. More often than not, I start reading a book only to set it aside one third into it. I have a pile of books which are marked “to be finished”...  But I kept reading Steve Jobs’ biography on a daily basis and finished it “cover to cover”.

No “Hug” button on Skype

I recently came back from a 3.5 weeks visit in the US. We spent about half the time in New York, and the other half in California - a coast-to-coast visit. It was quite a journey that blended sightseeing, entertainment,  restaurants, shopping, meeting friends, and most importantly: family reunion. With all the wonders of modern communication, it seems that "good old" air travel is not obsolete just yet. 

Israel and Hamas: Who won the last round?

Operation Pillar of Defense lasted eight days, during which Israel and Hamas exchanged numerous blows. This “boxing match” was the latest round of violence between Israel and the militant organizations based in Gaza, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and a few smaller factions. During eight long days, Hamas and its allies fired rockets and mortars into Israeli cities, while Israel dropped precision bombs on infrastructure and fired guided missiles at Palestinian militants. With 1500 rockets matched by 1500 air raids, one might wonder “who won this round?” ^(*)

The Value of Technology Education

I graduated from high school over 35yrs ago. All these years I never came back to visit. Granted, there were logistical reasons, such as living over 7000 miles away for the past 20yrs. But let’s face it, there were emotional reasons as well. High school wasn’t much fun for me. It involved long days, tons of homework, strict discipline, and hardly any social life. Today I returned to my high school to give a talk about: “The value of technology education”.  It was an interesting experience, to say the least, kind of "back to the Future".

Don’t Argue With a Traffic Officer

I recently started doing my volunteer shifts with the Tel-Aviv traffic police. I spend 5hrs each week accompanying a traffic police officer on his duty. We help some drivers and pedestrians, attend to traffic accidents, and issue traffic tickets. The latter gives me an opportunity to experience the interaction between drivers and traffic officers – this time from the other side of the fence. I have one suggestion for drivers out there – please don’t argue with a traffic officer…

Israel and Apartheid – never the twain shall meet?

Post moved to: http://back-to-israel.com/2012/10/28/israel-and-apartheid-never-the-twain-shall-meet/