Bulls on Parade
I’m not sure where the phenomenon of the urban artistry of concrete/fiberglass animal painting comes from. It’s cool, don’t get me wrong, although I can’t explain why exactly, but I find it a bit odd. My first experience was with the painted cows in NY. I also recall gargantuan teddy bears all over the streets Berlin a few years ago (creepy!). 
I read something about pigs in Cincinatti (treyf!), moose in Toronto, sharks in San Jose and the absolute greatest idea ever…the Mr. Potato statues of Rhode Island.
I know that Tel Aviv had cows and penguins and Jerusalem had (and still does in a few places) Lions. I recall seeing Dolphins somewhere but can’t recall where… Herzliya? Raanana? My imagination?
In any case, Tel Aviv uber-blogger Imshin reports that fiberglass bulls have invaded Tel Aviv. Bulls? What connection does the bull have to Tel Aviv? Does the bull symbolize Israeli machismo?
I also found penguins troubling. The only place I’ve ever seen penguins in Israel was at the Jerusalem Zoo. It’s shame because we have several cool indigenous beasts in this biblical land that would make awesome street art. Someone needs to stand up for the ibexes, hyenas, jackals, hyraxes, hyaenas and wild boars of Israel. Okay, so wild boars might offend Jewish and Moslem religious sensibilities, but the rest can work. They deserve more.
What animal would you like to see on the streets of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem one day?
The photo on this entry was taken by Savta Dotty. Check out more photos of the Bulls of Tel Aviv at Safta Dotty’s flickr page.
UPDATED: I have been informed that use of the the bulls is in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Still, give those cute hyraxes the respect they deserve.
Crossposted to Israelity.
Coexistence in Tel Aviv
The most remarkable thing about the club is undoubtedly the mix of people that frequent its premises. Bisexual, homosexual, heterosexual, asexual, and transsexuals from Jewish orthodox, Jewish secular, Arab Israeli or foreign backgrounds all mixing and mingling without hesitation.
Nothing like the mutual interest of whips and chains, spanking and humiliation to bring people together.
Holy shit!
Let’s get political!
First Amir Peretz takes over Labor and attempts to return it to the party’s socialist roots. Now Ariel Sharon, one of the founders of Israel’s largest political party, has bolted and announced he is forming a new party with the worst name ever (National Responsibility) - and he’s taking at least 14 Likud MKs with him. It remains to be seen who from the left will be joining him. We can be sure of one thing however, Peretz’s socialist ways don’t sit well with Labor’s hawks so we’ll be sure to see more than a few defections. Betcha five bucks that Dan Meridor steps out of political retirement and joins the party. Oh, and Shinui is DONE. The creation of a centrist party without the anti-religious banter and sans a cantankerous leader is the death knell for the secular party.
It’s mindblowing that the political landscape of a country can completely change within a week.
TVFH on Myspace.com
I finally added a myspace page for the podcast, so if you are into the whole “online community” thing feel free to add us.
Our page can be found here.
Bloomberg as Hummus
Long time readers of my blog and listeners of our podcast know how much I love hummous. Now there are a lot of uses for hummus, but fine art is not one of them.
Hummus should not be used for sculpting. Ever. Really. Especially when its a sculpture of Mayor Bloomberg. This makes me hate myself. A lot. In fact, eating hummus may never be the same.
November 8, 2005 TVFH Podcast
Hello true believers! We return from our incredibly awesome trip to Vietnam with quirky observations, stomachs of steel, Dengue Fever and much, much more!
Everyone else seems to be doing it so why can’t we?
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A few photos from our trip:
Halong Bay
The next two I took in the northern hills outside of Sapa.
From Hanoi to Jerusalem
I always considered life in Israel to be fairly fast paced. The only time during the week that life feels a bit slower is Friday afternoons at about 3:00 p.m. which is about the time everyone has finished their weekend food shopping and are transitioning to the chilled out vibe of the weekend. But let me get back to my first sentence before I digress further. We just returned back from a trip to Vietnam, possibly the least Jewish place on earth (they practically put pork on their ice cream). I’ve never been in a more manic and energized country in my life. From morning until night there are thousands of motorbikes occupying the narrow streets of Hanoi. I’ve been busted (and fined) for jaywalking in Jerusalem in the past, but in Vietnam, jaywalking is encouraged. In fact, you can’t cross the street UNLESS you jaywalk. No need to wait for a lull in the traffic, it ain’t forthcoming. And any time spent looking for a crosswalk is futile considering they don’t exist. You just go. It’s the job of the motorbikes to avoid you. But you have a responsibility as well. You are obligated to walk in a straight line and not deviate from your speed. It’s a harrowing experience at first and some may argue a leap of faith, but on our second day we weren’t even paying attention to the throngs of motorbikes and just walked straight into the street without any concern for our personal safety. It’s just the way things are there. 
They are fast. Whoosh!!!! The few traffic lights (maybe two) I did see are equally as quick. I think I might have noticed a light stay red for at least fifteen seconds, but I could be wrong. At a restaurant? Your food will come within minutes of ordering. Asking for the bill? A waiter will hover over you while you dig through your wallet for Vietnamese dong. Bargaining for items (even a can of coke) is done in a quick, playful and efficient manner. No time for nonsense. Make your pitch, bargain and buy. You are never kept waiting and much like I feel in Israel, I only feel really relaxed in the comforts of a closed room or sitting at a cafe enjoying a cup of coffee. But in Israel I can’t get exotic weasel coffee. Delicious!
I adjusted well to the fast paced lifestyle of Vietnam. I let the energy fuel me and let the culture envelop my soul, but eventually, I yearned for a little quiet. Upon returning to Israel on an early morning flight, Ziva and I had a dozen things to do. Pick up the keys to our apartment from friends, get the dogs from the kennel, do some food shopping, etc. The traffic lights were way too long, the cars were driving way too slow and the cashier at the supermarket was moving at a snail’s pace. I found myself getting really annoyed really fast. I was headed for a meltdown. I couldn’t slow my body and mind down from the frenzy of Vietnam. Realizing that if this kept up I’d have to check in to the psychiatric ward of Hadassah hospital, I took a (virtual) step back and began to appreciate the substantially slower way things played out here in Israel and quickly realized that despite what I thought, things aren’t that fast here after all.
Where in the world are Harry and Ziva?
Well, we are back home in Israel. For the past two and a half weeks we have been eating pho and spring rolls, drinking coffee, trekking and riding motorbikes from Hanoi to Halong Bay. Vietnam rules! You should go before the influx of tourists increases and it’s no longer uber-cheap.
We would have told you about our trip sooner but we didn’t want you stealing our shit.
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