Beware of buying second hand bikes!

My Electric Bike was stolen last week.  I want to warn the thief that the bike is due for a full overhaul.  It is a dangerous to ride it for more than a week the condition it is in.

1. The spokes are coming off of the tires.
2. The brakes need to be replaced.
3. The battery even though it looks good needs to be charged very often.
4. The seat is frayed.
5. The paint job is chipped and very dirty.
All that I found was a piece of the lock where the cowardly thieves cut through it.

I want everyone to beware of buying this bike.  It is a White Green Bike, with a black battery 15W.   If you see it on  any resale sites, http://www.yad2.co.il/ especially for a very low price  then it is probably mine.

The police are swamped with stolen bikes, computers, iphones, you name it, and they don't have the manpower to follow up on leads.

I would caution anyone buying any bikes on resale sites 2nd hand as you don't really know if it is stolen merchandise or not.  It is best to buy from a store.
If you do buy 2nd hand demand to see the original receipt and warranty for the bike.

Grow your own! . . . Garlic! - Life on a Shoestring

Everything is getting more and more expensive.  This is a fact of life, and has been for the past couple of hundred years.  But there are some ways that we can beat the high costs of living.  One way is to grow your own food.  I have a porch that gets some sun, and I have a potted olive tree that I have had for over 10 years.  This year it is giving olives!

 But is post is about Garlic!  It is easy to grow your own and you don't have to wait 10 years!  Not that I was counting anyway!




How do you grow your own garlic?  First you take a piece of garlic that you bought at the market. My package like almost everything else nowadays. is from . . . wait for it ,  is from China! 



Now, take one piece, if it is growing already it is ok, put the green part upwards in the pot.  If the piece of garlic has not grown, like mine here, then put the cut off  (flat end) end down in the pot first. 
 This is a piece of garlic after about a month.  Your Garlic needs a bit of water every two days, the pot has to get the water out the bottom.  Clip off the flowers if you don't want it to produce seeds.


 Wait about 10 months until the green at the top dies, then take out the garlic, dry it for about a week, where it gets a bit of breeze.

If you want more information go here; http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Garlic-Indoors-in-a-Pot

Have fun growing your own!!!

Rachael Alice

Getting your Hair cut on Fast Days.

I have found a wonderful site that the Rabbi will answer all your questions.

I get asked every year about when is the time to get haircuts.  So, now I have the answer: 

Oh the question!  Is is permissible to get your hair cut on a Fast Day? 

You have to click here to get the answer: http://dinonline.org/?p=36679

Of course we all know that there is no haircuts during the Omer or during the Three Weeks.  

If you have more questions, then as your Local Orthodox Posek.  

I am available in the mornings for Haircuts in Jerusalem only. 

Happy Haircutting day, 

Rachael Alice 

rachael5760@yahoo.com

Jerusalem on Fire! The day after Lag B'Omer

Seriously folks, be careful with your combustables on a hot day like today.  Just came home and saw this out my window.  Called it in to 102 the Fire Department, they took a long time to answer the phone by the way, and they said that they already knew about it.

This is what the fire looked like at 12;00pm.  Now it is 5:41pm and it is still out of control!  I heard planes and helicopters flying over trying to get a handle on it.  If they would sent only one plane when I had called it in there wouldn't be this problem

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/212834#.V0cLTJF97IV

One of the fires is being blamed on Lag B'Omer, maybe it is true, but there needs to be more fire education here in Israel.

When I was a child in Los Angeles, we had to have fire drills a few times a year, and a Fire Marshal came to our classes and taught us what to do when there is a fire.  I was elected Fire Marshal of my 4th grade class and I was expert at stomping on lit cigarettes.

 This served me well when I was teaching my first year in the classroom, as during a test someone slipped a smoke bomb under the door. causing untold uproar in the class.  I stepped on it.. Why did they schedule a test for April 1st, anyway??

Fires are serious, many people have been evaucated from their homes this afternoon.  Learn the fire rules and before you leave a fire, put it out with sand or water!

Roving Cellphone Photographer
Rachael Alice

Looking for an apartment to rent in Nachalot

Mature, quiet, non-smoker, Kosher lady looking for a ground floor apartment to rent in Nachlaot, move in date Jan. 1st 2017!
Requirements:

Ground floor, or 5 steps
1.5 rooms
budget around 4000NIS a month,
Honest landlord -
Will pay on time every month in cash direct into your bank account.
Will sign standard apartment rental contract.
Permission to hang a few pictures on the walls.

Call or leave SMS for Hana 055-971-9774


Public Service Announcement
By Life Coach Jerusalem
Rachael Alice
lifecoachjerusalem@gmail.com

Business Strategy, Does every employee in your Company know and use it?

Many businesses, even big companies don't really have a clear succinct business strategy.

This is why many businesses are not really successful.

When I was working at JCPenney, the strategy was on the board above the composite picture of all the management.  

Our purpose is to give good customer service and quality goods at a fair price, not what the market will bear. 

This was our guiding light for all the managers and the employees. Before starting to work in the company, each employee had to do a video training session and we learned this and the "JCPenney" way of customer service. 

Now of course, I don't work there, but it was successful in the 1980's.  

Does your business have a slogan that describes what you do?  Can you tell another person in 1 minute or less?  If not, then your  employees are probably confused as well as your customers. 

This will be a guide for you when you have a difficult situation.  Will you cut your price or lose the customer?  Maybe if you have a strategy, then this will help you to decide the best way to handle the situation. 

Finding a perfect strategy for your business might take time and you might also have to change it according to the customer's needs.  

Don't be afraid to try different strategies for different markets.  

Good Luck!

Rachael Alice Orbach 

Life Coach, Business Coach in Jerusalem 

Banks force customers to use the Automatic Teller as of May 1st 2016

Last week, right after Passover, I rushed to my bank to put a bunch of checks into my account.  The teller was very surprised to see me because she doesn't do that job anymore.  But she still had the machine at her desk, and she take care of my checks.  "Why is there a problem?"  I asked,  she pointed to a sign:   As of May 1st no more teller service at this branch. Everyone must use the automatic teller system.


Every customer of the banks is forced to stand outside to do their banking.  You have to get a bank card and do what you did last month standing outside.  Bank Polalim, Bank Leumi and even Bank Jerusalem are doing this.

Well, I see many problems with this, here are a few:

1. New Olim who don't know how to read Hebrew may not understand how to get to the English Menu.
2. Old people who don't know how to use a computer
3. People who are in a wheelchair can't read the screen or  reach the user interface.
4. You have to do something that is not on the menu.
5. People who are disabled won't understand the instructions on the user interface.
6. The machines are outside, making customers vulnerable to get robbed while they are doing their banking!!!


Yes, there are a few branches in each city that will still have a teller, but the lines will be so long that it will waste too much time for everyone.

Why is it that the Bank presidents make so much money, and cut corners everywhere can't see that customer service is still important?

I see that people will conform to the new rules, but we must make our voice heard that there is a place for traditional banking in Israel.

I'm not afraid to put my name:

Any comments, please write below,
I'm Rachael Alice in Jerusalem.