Tonight was Earth Hour here in Tel Aviv, an hour to turn off lights to make a statement about global warming and the environment (hopefully this statement was that it's not good). Thousands came to Kikar Rabin for a concert, sponsored by the city, where the band Knisiat Hasechel performed. At 8 PM, the lights went out in the iriya (municipality building) and apparently in certain businesses around the city who agreed to participate. The lighting for the band was powered by a group of spinners on an adjacent stage (When I was a kid, these were called stationery bikes. When the hell did "spinning" come along? What is this? Do Israelis call it "speeneeng"?)
I love the site of people in attendance to support the environment...smoking cigarettes. I wonder if they'll pass out plastic flyers with information about global warming as well.
Here's a short look. If you don't recognize the female journalist, that's Bar Rafaeli. She likes when I call her "Amalia". That and "Sugar Falafel".
Earth Hour for the rest of the world happens in two days. Who says Jews are late?
9 comments:
Aww that is so cool!
I agree... should've been the Azraeli Towers...
I was there last night and I am still having trouble wrapping my mind around Israeli concerts. It's like the band goes up there and sure, they'll play the music but they leave the singing to the audience whom, inevitably, knows all of the words to every song.
After seeing a lot of billboards and posters promoting this around Atlanta, I wonder how many trees were destroyed to promote this ridiculous event. Intead of encouraging people to turn off the lights for an hour, how about encouraging Americans to cut their voracious consumption of consumer goods?
You'd have to put the message on Big Mac wrappers to get the word out.
I definitely shut off the lights in my apt. But the level of participation in Tel Aviv was, in all honesty, pretty disappointing.
Turn out the lights for an hour? I already did my share with the four or five "havsakat Chashmal" I've had since moving here in September.
To all the skeptics out there: Earth Hour Tel Aviv was actually quite successful!
Israel Electric reported a drop of 24 megawatts in usage during that one hour period, meaning that more Tel Avivians participated than did Sydney residents at last year's event (which was quite a success itself!)
Also a whole bunch of restaurants responded and served candlelit dinner, very romantic :) as well as some other businesses.
Most importantly though, in my opinion, are the month long educational activities that have been going on in Tel Aviv's schools.
So... don't be a "doubting Thomas" and if you live in one of the bunch of cities participating in the March 29 Earth Hour - please turn off the lights :)
More info at www.earthhour.org
Is that THE Amalia? The one and only famous hummus and television critic and political pundit? I hope you got her autograph! Excellent on-the-scene reporting. Move over Christiane Amanpour, Amalia b'bayit!
Yeah, and yet they tried to give me a plastic bag for the pack of gum I bought last night. True story.
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