Every parent worries about their children at each stage of their lives and here in Israel we have the added anxiety of the Israel Defense Force. Ilan Shahar feels that being in the army is safer than being at school or travelling the world. In the army youngsters are not only well protected but they also learn skills to help them become responsible adults.

The author discusses the different connotations of a country turning 60 as opposed to a person’s 60th birthday.

Every Friday late afternoon in the summer the public can enjoy a wonderful pre sunset musical interlude at Apollonia Park in Herzliya.Tickets and directions obtainable on the web.

Mini golf is not new to Israel but iPutt is putting a new face on it. Mini golf parks with Biblical themes, and where the whole family can be entertained, are planned by an enterprising South African duo. The first one will be in Raanana and the plan is then to go nationwide.

A fictional financial nightmare is imaginatively created by Ilan Shachar who takes us on a grim fairy-tale journey to Saudi Arabia where it’s all part of a well-crafted plot conceived to destroy the West. Fictional? Read and decide for yourself.

How do we teach Israelis to be safe drivers? Ilan Shachar suggests that from an early age every pupil should learn about citizenship with the major emphasis on road safety. He also thinks that penalties for driving offences should be very much greater.

Ilan Shachar has a theory as to why Israeli’s are so noisy – but are we really any noisier than other nations? Why does a peaceful holiday weekend have to be disturbed by loud mouthed strangers, or why do we have to tolerate loud music late at night?

Why worry about things that we have no control over and cannot change? Ilan Shachar – a regular contributor to our columns has some interesting ideas giving us food for thought.