The paperless office may still be a long way off, but the forests of the world have what to celebrate: The paperless living room is here, now, and is coming to an e-book reader near you!
If e-books – and e-magazines, e-flyers, and any other reading material that was formerly available only in print – were still “iffy” until recently, that’s all changed with the arrival of Apple’s iPad. The iPad is far more than an e-reader, of course; you can watch Youtube videos and downloaded movies in brilliant, beautiful color …

It’s been said that “a young man who isn’t a socialist hasn’t got a heart; an old man who is a socialist hasn’t got a head.” Well, maybe that worked back in the 1920’s, when Lloyd George (who said it) was Prime Minister of the Empire. Things have changed, though – nowadays it’s hard to pin down and pigeonhole conservatives and liberals, as well as capitalists and socialists. For example: Who spent more during their eight years as president, Republican (conservative?) George W. Bush or Democrat (liberal?) Bill Clinton?  For …

Israel is blessed with a plethora of museums and exhibitions celebrating the country’s history, culture and accomplishments. Nearly every major (and some not so major) city and town has a museum presenting its history. There are museums dedicated to the country’s historical heroes, like Herzl and Ben Gurion. There’s a museum celebrating Egged buses (Holon) and the Israel Police (Kiryat Ata). There’s a museum dedicated to wheat (Haifa), and even one with a display on the historical development of theatrical lighting (Hod Hasharon).
All worthy of exposition, no doubt; but how …

Everything old is new again, the old saying goes – and anyone who was around for during the 1930s must be having a sense of deja vu. It’s gotten to the point where this parody of Herbert Hoover’s famous line, “Prosperity is Just Around the Corner,” seems like it was written last week, not in 1932! But if we’re looking for guidance from the oldies to navigate the new, harsh realities, I rather like this one, written during World War II, evoking a spirit of facing tough challenges head-on. …

Now that the election in the U.S. is over, we’re gearing up for our own poll – and as usual, security weighs heavily for local voters. Israelis feel that we’re at the epicenter of world terror – that nowhere else in the world is as dangerous, except for Iraq, Africa, and a few other places you wouldn’t want to live anyway. There’s always something to worry about here, the conventional wisdom says. But on one day recently, Israel looked a lot safer than many other places, when seen through …