Oi!

This is what happens when you stay up late watching Jackass 3D. You get reminded of true street punk and forget for a moment that you're in the Middle East.

I don't know of too many bands who will play a show in San Francisco and dedicate songs to British and American soldiers serving overseas. It doesn't get any realer than that.

J'lem Town

With the summer heat bearing down upon us, I decided it was a good time to get out of the city and spend the day in Jerusalem with my girlfriend. It was a much needed respite from the scorching temperatures of Tel Aviv. Even days spent at the beach can get a bit old when it's the only haven from the dense cityscape and you're still surrounded by Matkot playing Arsim.

View from the Austrian Hospice

A much needed day trip was in order, and it couldn't have been more worth it. We spent the whole day exploring the Old City, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods of West Jerusalem just outside the ancient walls. I hadn't been to Jerusalem since last year, and the trip was a breath of fresh air from cramped and crowded Tel Aviv. I'm sure even if you spent half your life living in Jerusalem, you would still be stumbling upon and discovering fascinating things, both new and old all the time. Just as we approached the city, with its rolling hills dotted by surrounding villages spread out in every direction, I could already tell that this was just the type of trip I needed. The feeling of being back in a place with so much open space and so many parks was the perfect antidote. It reminded me of back home, and reconfirmed what I had already thought, that large and spread out cities like London and Jerusalem are way more conducive to comfortable living, than overwhelmingly dense and compact places like New York City or Tel Aviv. Just my personal preference. Factor that together with a city as historical and beautiful as Jerusalem and you end up in a place that's really special.

Old City walls in the distance

I'm always particularly impressed also by the difference in culture and temperament between the two cities and their inhabitants. The ultimate hedonism that exists in Tel Aviv is replaced with a more cerebral and down to earth mindset in Jerusalem. While in Tel Aviv you rarely see people reading, unless they're Russian, Jerusalem is much more literate. It's common place to see people reading books on the bus, and all over. Also, if you're looking to find top quality bookstores, stocked with popular as well as niche titles, Jerusalem is the place to go. For some reason, the prices are much better compared to the bookstores in Tel Aviv too. And if I have further cause to champion Jerusalem, it doesn't hurt that you can walk into a supermarket and expect to find the type of American snacks you might be missing. Oh yeah, and better pizza and public transit also. Which both clearly count for a lot

Mamilla Mall just outside the Old City

At Your Command

It's been well over a month since pics leaked on Facebook of female IDF recruits and made headlines all over. The controversy has slightly died down, thanks in large part to the effort the army has been making to crack down on this type of behavior. Still, as someone who has served and has been lucky enough to have become acquainted some with the girls on our side, I thought I might as well just share a few extras of our armed forces' finest.

Whoever is second guessing service in the Navy might want to think again.

Chillness is a Virtue

It's strange that I've seen so much of Europe, and have even found myself in far out corners in Romania, yet I still have never been to Amsterdam and The Netherlands. This has to change soon.

Wikitravel

Italiana Noir

On Thursday, right before the weekend began here, I found myself going through some old stuff stashed in my closet. To my surprise, there was my Kindle that I hadn't seemingly used in forever. Truth be told, I've never fully made the switch over to e-readers, which isn't to say though that I don't like the convenience that they offer. I decided to take it out and charge it up and check it out again. I was pleased to discover some old books that I had loaded onto there a long time ago.

None more so than Andrea Camelleri's 'The Shape of Water'. From the moment I read the first chapter, I knew instantly that this was exactly the type of pulp detective novel that I'm enamored by. Camelleri's sly wit and ability to recreate the Mediterranean Noir feeling and the distinct and unsettled Sicilian atmosphere for his readers is flawless.

When I discovered that the Inspector Montalbano novels had been made into an Italian tv series, I practically jumped to YouTube as soon as I heard. If only I could speak just the slightest bit of Italian in order to understand everything. In the meantime, I'm going to be fast at work looking for any version with even half-decent English subs.

Open Season

The world is a mess, let's face it. Due to all of the craziness that's happening from Syria to Egypt and Afghanistan, and to the constant instability here in Israel and all across the Middle East also, it's easy to see how other stories can get pushed to the way side. Piracy in the Horn of Africa and throughout the Indian Ocean and beyond has not gone away, and I've only discovered recently just how bad the problem is. 

Royals and Royals

Alas, the hysteria can finally cease. There is now officially a Royal Baby. While I'm not one to buy into all the craziness surrounding this kind of spectacle, I just can't get behind the people who genuinely show such disdain for a couple who just had their first kid. Royal or not. Why not show some love and have a good time? From the looks of it, they definitely did in London and all over the U.K.

Of course, as with any international event that's a big deal, Shimon Peres is there to send best wishes and Mazal Tov. I'm sure the baby will love the shirt.