Irish eyes are smiling

Interesting article about the recent explosion of Irish-themed pubs in Israel. Personally, I'm not that impressed with the majority of them, as most seem to put on some U2 or Van Morrison (if you're lucky), put some green paint on the walls and boast that they have draught Guiness in order to sell themselves as an 'Irish pub'. Always reminds me of the craze a few years ago, when these frozen yoghurt shops started sprouting up everywhere...and disappeared within a few short months. Molly Bloom's in Tel Aviv is the granddaddy of Irish pubs and remains the one to beat...

I've been brushing up on my Chinese in preparation for Saturday's flight (which looks like it will be changed thanks to the general strike launched today): dim sum, chow mein, wok, wonton soup, sweet and sour, fortune cookie, and so on...

STRIKE UPDATE: 14:57 - 4 El Al planes circling in Israeli airspace seeking permission from Histadrut (the leading trade union over here) to land at striking Ben-Gurion Airport.