Showing posts with label Presidents Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Presidents Conference. Show all posts
Dec 29, 2013
no more #Tomorrow for the President's Conference
The past 5 years there has been an annual conference in Jerusalem called The President's Conference. President Shimon Peres was behind it. The conference took place in the International Convention Center, Binyanei HaUma, and it was an elegant and prestigious affair. World leaders from all walks of life flew to Israel to be a part of it. Leading politicians, businessmen, doctors, economists, environmentalists, social entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, religious leaders, academics, entertainers, and on and on (and even Dr. Ruth Westheimer!). They would come and talk about what needs to be done, what is being done, what Israel is doing, how Israel is a leader in this or that.
A lot of pomp and circumstance.
The past couple of years saw the conference come under a lot of criticism. Some were upset that one could not find an Israeli flag anywhere near the conference. Others were upset with the high cost of the event. Even though it was funded by private donations and was not coming from the taxpayers pockets, many people thought it inappropriate to have such an expensive event at a time when so many Israelis are having a hard time making it to the end of the month.
Personally, I felt that even if it was a bit "over the top" it was still worth it. it brought great PR to Israel on the world stage, it brought world leaders to Israel, it had world leaders talking nicely about Israel, and I am sure many of the workshops probably spurred ideas for innovation and/or improvement in various fields. Maybe certain things could have been changed, I don't know, but overall I think it was a positive event that was worth having, especially as it came at no cost to the taxpayer.
Unfortunately, the President's Conference is no more.
Walla News is reporting, and one of the organizers confirmed it for me, that there will be no President's Conference this year, and probably not at all in the future.
There were actually two problems with the upcoming President's Conference:
1. it has been held annually in June, and this years conference would have been very close to the time in which Shimon Peres would finish his term as president and a new president would be stepping in.
2. The cost, and according to Walla the criticism as a result of the cost.
It is a shame that the conference is being canceled. It could have been scaled down a bit, the schedule changed - the issues do not seem so major that they could not be overcome.
A lot of pomp and circumstance.
The past couple of years saw the conference come under a lot of criticism. Some were upset that one could not find an Israeli flag anywhere near the conference. Others were upset with the high cost of the event. Even though it was funded by private donations and was not coming from the taxpayers pockets, many people thought it inappropriate to have such an expensive event at a time when so many Israelis are having a hard time making it to the end of the month.
Personally, I felt that even if it was a bit "over the top" it was still worth it. it brought great PR to Israel on the world stage, it brought world leaders to Israel, it had world leaders talking nicely about Israel, and I am sure many of the workshops probably spurred ideas for innovation and/or improvement in various fields. Maybe certain things could have been changed, I don't know, but overall I think it was a positive event that was worth having, especially as it came at no cost to the taxpayer.
Unfortunately, the President's Conference is no more.
Walla News is reporting, and one of the organizers confirmed it for me, that there will be no President's Conference this year, and probably not at all in the future.There were actually two problems with the upcoming President's Conference:
1. it has been held annually in June, and this years conference would have been very close to the time in which Shimon Peres would finish his term as president and a new president would be stepping in.
2. The cost, and according to Walla the criticism as a result of the cost.
It is a shame that the conference is being canceled. It could have been scaled down a bit, the schedule changed - the issues do not seem so major that they could not be overcome.
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
Jun 22, 2012
Shimon Peres And The Bloggers
The President's Conference is over, and I must say I greatly enjoyed the parts I was able to go to. I found it thought provoking, fun and educational.
President Shimon Peres has found a gracefulness as president that he never had as a politician. Peres was always brilliant, he was never short for words, he can speak forever on any topic without any notes, and get involved in minute details of the topic at hand. As president though, Peres has discovered an aura of respectability, gracefulness and wisdom.
We had a bloggers session with the President. For the first time that I can remember, I had the opportunity to really see Shimon Peres up close, in a fairly intimate setting, to hear him speak in a conversation rather than just saying a speech.
Perhaps it is his age, perhaps the three days of a conference were wearing on him, perhaps it is a combination of a bunch of other factors, but despite his warmth, wisdom and thoughtfulness, I noticed a change in Shimon Peres. I noticed that he seemed disoriented at times, he had a hard time hearing or understanding questions that were asked of him, and he seemed a bit off balance. When someone asked a question, almost every time he leaned over to his aide and asked what the question was. When he stood up he seemed a bit clumsy and disoriented. His mind was as sharp as ever, but it just seemed to me that his age is perhaps starting to catch up with him.
Despite that, the event with President Shimon Peres was a wonderful opportunity, and I thank him and the management team of Ruder Finn for arranging it.
The President even invited us all to get together around him for a group picture at the end of the session..
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
President Shimon Peres has found a gracefulness as president that he never had as a politician. Peres was always brilliant, he was never short for words, he can speak forever on any topic without any notes, and get involved in minute details of the topic at hand. As president though, Peres has discovered an aura of respectability, gracefulness and wisdom.
We had a bloggers session with the President. For the first time that I can remember, I had the opportunity to really see Shimon Peres up close, in a fairly intimate setting, to hear him speak in a conversation rather than just saying a speech.
Perhaps it is his age, perhaps the three days of a conference were wearing on him, perhaps it is a combination of a bunch of other factors, but despite his warmth, wisdom and thoughtfulness, I noticed a change in Shimon Peres. I noticed that he seemed disoriented at times, he had a hard time hearing or understanding questions that were asked of him, and he seemed a bit off balance. When someone asked a question, almost every time he leaned over to his aide and asked what the question was. When he stood up he seemed a bit clumsy and disoriented. His mind was as sharp as ever, but it just seemed to me that his age is perhaps starting to catch up with him.Despite that, the event with President Shimon Peres was a wonderful opportunity, and I thank him and the management team of Ruder Finn for arranging it.
The President even invited us all to get together around him for a group picture at the end of the session..
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
Jun 21, 2012
PM Netanyahu Meets with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara (video)
PM Netanyahu Meets with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara
I heard the president, Mr. Alassane Ouattara speak about the economy of Africa at the President's Conference yesterday. Here are a couple of pictures I snapped of him as I walked right by as he was talking to a reporter on his way out of the conference...
I have 2 questions:
1. all those people around him - are they aides and assistants or are they Sudanese and Eritrean migrants?
2. Did Israel take advantage of the presidents trip to Israel and send back 150 or so migrants on the plane with him back to Africa last night?
That was meant to be humorous, for anybody who might not have picked up on it...
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
I heard the president, Mr. Alassane Ouattara speak about the economy of Africa at the President's Conference yesterday. Here are a couple of pictures I snapped of him as I walked right by as he was talking to a reporter on his way out of the conference...
I have 2 questions:
1. all those people around him - are they aides and assistants or are they Sudanese and Eritrean migrants?
2. Did Israel take advantage of the presidents trip to Israel and send back 150 or so migrants on the plane with him back to Africa last night?
That was meant to be humorous, for anybody who might not have picked up on it...
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
Jun 20, 2012
Fourth Annual President's Conference Honors Dr. Henry Kissinger
I went this evening to the 4th annual Presiential Conference in Jerusalem, hosted by President Shimon Peres. The theme of this years conference is "Facing Tomorrow 2012" - designing a better future.
The conference is going to run through Thursday evening and has a tremendous lineup of speakers and panelists, with a few special sessions for bloggers. I don't know how much I will be able to go the next couple of days, but I went tonight and it was really an amazing event.
To be brief, the evening started off with some excitement. I was invited with some other bloggers and members of the press to a news conference of Shimon Peres meeting the Chairman of Google Eric Shmidt. After registering, a few of us went up to where it was. We got to a security post and had to wait to get special permission to pass and be escorted through. We went upstairs, only to be stopped at another security post. After some waiting and clearing things up, we were allowed to pass, only to be stopped yet again. After being allowed to pass the third security post, we were stopped at the fourth and not allowed through. After a few minutes the manager of the security detail came out and said no, and then added it does not matter because they are finishing already anyways. Instead of a press conference, they only held a photo shoot and it was just about finished already.
Another fascinating speaker was Keren Leibovitch, a paralympic swimmer who holds a number of world records, has won a number of gold medals and world championships, and is the mother to two sets fo twins. She described her experiences becomign a champion swimmer, and her main message was to not be afraid of failure, as that is the stepping stone to success.
Other fascinating speakers were Yuri Millner, Professor Daniel Kahaneman and Google chairman Eric Shmidt.
After a break, the main session was lef by Shimon Peres opening, and presenting a new medal, the Israeli Medal of Distinction, to Dr. Henry Kissinger, for his great work throughout his career on behalf of Israel and on behalf of humanity.
After laying out some thoughts and visions, along with some interesting and humorous vignettes, Peres presented the medal to Kissinger. Kissinger said that at 89 it is strange to say but he wishes his parents would have been there to see this - he said they would have appreciated this more than any of the awards and honors he had previously received.
Tony Blair closed the session out with his vision for the future, with much praise for Shimon Peres specifically, and for how far Israel has come. A main point made by Blair was when he said "We have no option but to stay engaged in this part of the world. Democracy is not just a way of voting. It’s a way of thinking. It’s about freedom of expression, freedom of the media and freedom of religion."
The sessions for the coming days look intriguing and fascinating. I hope I will be able to attend some parts of it.
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
The conference is going to run through Thursday evening and has a tremendous lineup of speakers and panelists, with a few special sessions for bloggers. I don't know how much I will be able to go the next couple of days, but I went tonight and it was really an amazing event.
To be brief, the evening started off with some excitement. I was invited with some other bloggers and members of the press to a news conference of Shimon Peres meeting the Chairman of Google Eric Shmidt. After registering, a few of us went up to where it was. We got to a security post and had to wait to get special permission to pass and be escorted through. We went upstairs, only to be stopped at another security post. After some waiting and clearing things up, we were allowed to pass, only to be stopped yet again. After being allowed to pass the third security post, we were stopped at the fourth and not allowed through. After a few minutes the manager of the security detail came out and said no, and then added it does not matter because they are finishing already anyways. Instead of a press conference, they only held a photo shoot and it was just about finished already.
 |
| Picture courtesy of Real Jerusalem Streets |
The session started with a series of speakers and panelists, each presenting his or her vision for the future. The session started with a discussion between Dr. Yossie Vardi and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. That session was extremely enjoyable. Dr. Ruth is a real firecracker at 84 years old. She is funny, energetic, dynamic and so positive and active. She mentioned how she had fought with the Hagana and can still shoot 5 bullets in a tight ring, and that she thinks she can still throw a hand-grenade! They discussed social media, while putting it into perspective and encouraging real relationships as well, actually turning things off and talking to one's friend or spouse. Dr. Ruth said people need to be productive. She discussed some of her plans for the future, and that she does not hang out with people who complain they are tired - she tells them to go home and rest and then she goes and looks for other people to spend time with.
Another fascinating speaker was Keren Leibovitch, a paralympic swimmer who holds a number of world records, has won a number of gold medals and world championships, and is the mother to two sets fo twins. She described her experiences becomign a champion swimmer, and her main message was to not be afraid of failure, as that is the stepping stone to success.
Other fascinating speakers were Yuri Millner, Professor Daniel Kahaneman and Google chairman Eric Shmidt.
After a break, the main session was lef by Shimon Peres opening, and presenting a new medal, the Israeli Medal of Distinction, to Dr. Henry Kissinger, for his great work throughout his career on behalf of Israel and on behalf of humanity.
Tony Blair closed the session out with his vision for the future, with much praise for Shimon Peres specifically, and for how far Israel has come. A main point made by Blair was when he said "We have no option but to stay engaged in this part of the world. Democracy is not just a way of voting. It’s a way of thinking. It’s about freedom of expression, freedom of the media and freedom of religion."
The sessions for the coming days look intriguing and fascinating. I hope I will be able to attend some parts of it.
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Related Posts
