According to Arutz 7:

Bus drivers providing the public with transportation are allowed to take up to ten standing passengers according to Israeli law, occasionally causing them to pass by and leave passengers waiting at bus stations until a less crowded bus arrives.
But thanks to the request of a hareidi resident of Elad, located east of Petah Tikva, that reality is a thing of the past.
The resident's request on the issue led Elad Deputy Mayor Rabbi Shmuel Grossbard, who holds the municipality portfolio on transportation, to urge the Transportation Ministry to listen to the man's solution to the problem.
Under the framework presented, drivers would be required to pick up all passengers at the stations.
For every trip in which over ten riders were forced to stand, the bus company would have to report to the Transportation Ministry, and if it occurred more than three times in the same hour, the company would immediately be required to add an extra bus on a fixed basis for the hour of high demand.
In a letter sent by the public inquiry department, it was noted "in the coming days a new guideline will launch relating to the limitations on picking up standing passengers."
"The message brought by the guideline is that the criminal sanctions (against drivers) for giving over ten passengers standing-room only rides will be cancelled," it added. "Only the financial traffic ticket will remain unchanged."
The statement continued "additionally around ten inter-city bus lines will be excluded and allowed to give up to ten passengers rides while standing without a fine. Also the ministry will continue to reinforce lines inundated with passengers so that the problem will not be repeated."

I think it is great that they will finally implement a system that will include the bus company having to regularly reevaluate what lines are busy and overcrowded and what lines or times are underutilized, and adjust accordingly, adding buses to times and lines that are overcrowded.

However, I don't get the first part, When Egged packs the people in, such as on lines to/from the Kotel, busy times between Jerusalem and other cities especially on Friday afternoons and Saturday nights, holiday seasons, etc. the haredi community complains about how Egged takes them for granted and just packs them in like cattle cars... and now when Egged implements a rule by which they no longer pack the passengers in but limit how many can ride standing, they demand that Egged be forced to pack them in with no limits.

Which is it? do they want to be packed in or do they want to ride comfortably and respectfully?

Bechadrei quotes Rav Moshe Shternbuch as having said that we are living in a time of increased extremism. Rav Shternbuch pointed to the Arabs who have gone crazy extreme in their religion and are killing and murdering. He also pointed to the secular Jews and said they have gone to extreme secularism and that has led them to doing things bordering on the crazy. (Rav Shternbuch somehow connected that to the suggestion that we can do a lot today to effect kiruv momentum among the secular Jews)

The one he did not mention that I would add is the extreme religious Jews doing things bordering on the crazy as well, such as burqas, sitting in body bags on airplanes, wearing blinders or male burqas  while flying to Uman, abusive behavior, separate seating on buses, erasing women from newspapers and magazines and other publications, among others...

Too bad it is only other peoples extremist behavior he calls out, and not our own.

I still don't have much of an opinion about the race for the position of chief rabbi of Jerusalem. All the rabbis who have thrown their hats into the race seem to me to be reputable people with integrity and the smarts and leadership skills to do the job well.

My thoughts about it:
1. I think the members of the Lau family are very talented rabbis. If Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau will win, I am sure he will be a great chief rabbi and will surely do a great job. It does concern me to see his brother in the position of chief rabbi of Israel, his father as chief rabbi of Tel Aviv and formerly of Israel, and him possibly taking the Jerusalem spot..
It makes it seem like the rabbinate is basically a family business, and nobody without the right family name or connections has a chance of succeeding. I dont know that he should be punished because of his name, but I also dont know that he should succeed just because of his name... it concerns me to have another Lau right now in such a major position.

2. yes, I know that is already the situation on the sefardi side of the chief rabbinate. you have to mostly be a member of a select few families to get any of the major positions. I have written about this in the past, though right now the sefardi side is less relevant.

3. I find it ironic that it seems like the haredi parties will probably be supporting Rav Shmuel Eliyahu who has mostly been considered a dati leumi rabbi until now, while the dati leumi will probably be supporting Rav Shlomo Amar who has mostly been considered a haredi rabbi until now.

the problem is not with the rioters. the problem is with the Jews that ascend Temple Mount. If you come into my house without my permission, how do you expect me to react.
The ascension to Temple Mount will turn the political argument between the Palestinians and Israelis in a religious war between Muslims and Jews. As long as the occupation continues, the Jews ascending are doing so as conquerors, and not as guests or visitors. In the future, when the occupation will end and there will be a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the Jews and members of all other religions will be able to visit Al Aqsa mosque under our rule and under conditions set by the Palestinians..

  -- Palestinian Minister of Holy Sites Mahmoud Al-Habash

US Secretary of State John Kerry is blaming Israel for the growth and success of ISIS.. due to the failure of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, ISIS is growing in places like Syria and Baghdad...

Somehow, no matter what happens or where it happens, it is always the fault of the Jews and Israel... As Menachem Begin said about Sabra and Shatilla, goyim kill goyim, and they blame the Jews...

The IDF’s latest operation in the Gaza Strip, Operation Protective Edge, had a high cost of human life. Sixty-seven soldiers were killed on the ground and hundreds of others were injured during the fighting. The first soldiers to provide medical treatment to the wounded are the IDF’s paramedics, who are often female soldiers. Noam and Chen entered into Gaza with infantry troops with one mission: to treat injured soldiers and save as many lives as possible. 

Torah in a club.. good idea? Torah belongs everywhere? or is it not appropriate in some places?

Feiglin also compares himself to Obama, in the sense that Obama also didn't have a chance, before he won

The soul and heart can come through despite any costume we wear... and this 7 foot clown has an amazing rendition of Leonard Cohen's classic

this group snuck a lulav and esrog on to Har Habayit and successfully performed the d'oraita mitzva of shaking the 4 species (no place more d'oraita than on Har Habayit)..

unfortunately it had to be snuck on, but they weren't caught and nobody was arrested, unlike in previous years when it was tried. Hopefully one day soon we will be allowed to pray openly and perform our religious rituals openly and without fear of arrest.

This does remind me of the time a few years ago I went up on Har Habayit on Sukkos and someone brought along small pieces of the 4 species. While he was not fulfilling any commandment by it, he found it symbolic at the time. He had one leaf of a lulav, one myrtle leaf, one willow leaf and an esrog.