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Showing posts from January, 2017

Israel's VIPs (Very Important Prisoners)

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There's a Chief Rabbi, a Prime Minister and a President in a cell together.... What sounds like the beginning of a joke, is painfully close to Israel's reality. Ex-Chief Rabbi Rabbi Yona Metzger will be imprisoned for three and a half years for corruption, having pocketed millions of shekels in illicit funds during his tenure as Chief Rabbi. He may have the distinction of 'sitting' with ex-Prime Minister Olmert, and he narrowly missing hob-nobbing with ex-President Moshe Katzav (who has been recently released after serving time for rape). With at least four investigations against Prime Minister Netanyau, perhaps something will stick and Bibi might join these celebs. Before the current batch of Very Important Prisoners, Shas Minister Aryeh Deri did his time, and Ariel Sharon's son Omri also; Prime Minister Sharon Minister may well have been imprisoned with Omri also, had it not been for Gush Katif and then his vegetative state following a stroke.   I

Overseeing The Journalists

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The Bibi-Noni scandal appears to have shone a spotlight upon a murky world of politics plus journalism. A series of tapes, now in the hands of the police, reveal that Prime Minister Netanyahu held secret meetings with Arnon "Noni" Mozes, owner of Yediot Acharonot - a devotedly anti-Bibi newspaper. Various deals were being discussed between Bibi and Noni, with a view to reducing the criticism of Netanyahu by Yediot, in return for Netanyahu taking measures to reduce Israel Hayom's circulation. Israel Hayom is a free, Bibi aligned newspaper, founded and funded by Sheldon Adelson, which had undercut the tabloid market where Yediot had previously dominated. The quid pro quo appears to have been that Yediot would lower the volume on anti-Bibi journalism, in return for Bibi cutting Israel Hayom's circulation. Indeed, a bill was presented to the Knesset in 2014, nicknamed the "Israel Hayom Law", which effectively illegalized free mass-circulation newspa

Buddy, Can You Spare Don a Dime?

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Poor old Donald. Had to move from here into subsidized housing which was vacated by a black family  

The Funny Side of Booking Online

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