Is this for real???

That's the piece of news that just hit the Russian-language news circuit. Syria may be receiving Iskander and Iran may be receiving S-300. On top of that, Russia is allegedly thinking of getting a base in Syria. Still wanna play friends with Russia, Shaked?

Raanan Shaked is right .... some people smile to diguise the hat and bitterness within...some people smile and rob others blind.... Smile and mean the love that is behind the smile

It is NOT true that ONLY Americans smile. Indeed, many Europeans smile too, especially those in the south. I lived in the Netherlands before. Although it is in northern Europe, people who served me smiled a lot. Russians don't smile? I can't say for sure but I know Putin doesn't smile.

Smile Raanan, you're on candid camera.

The attitude expressed in this article or minor variations on this attitude are not uncommon in Israel. How many times does one hear "Hacol k'eelu b'america" or "Koolam maamidim panim b'america"? Americans should understand what (at least a non-negligible portion of) the beneficiaries of $3billion/year of their tax money really think of them and how they think generally. Congratulations to ynet for publishing this.

They say give a group of monkeys pens and enough time and eventually they would come up with the works of Shakepeare. I think given enough time a group of horses' patoots could come up with the complete writings of Raanan Shaked.

Has it ever occurred to you that when people smile, whether it be real or not, leads other people to smile and maybe, just maybe, makes their day better? Aside from you putting down the very people who make that coffee by calling it a dead-end job - what if that's all they could do for themselves? What if they didn't have the $ or the smarts to further themselves and that's the best they could do? You write this pointless article that Russians are "better" then Americans because they have what you have now created as the "right and wrong" time to smile? I mean wtf is this article about really. As an Israeli, you just chalked up to Russia who just invaded a country (and teared it up nonetheless) not much bigger than your own, who has been selling and dealing arms to your worst enemies, but hey, they know when and where to smile right? A smile never killed anyone, weapons and hating on people do.

I am now stupider after reading Raanan Shaked's inept argument. Americans smile because our government allows freedom of speech, and because in three months we get to elect a new government.

...Than some bitter Russian throwing me an empty cup.

Americans are too busy thinking about how they are going to make their next buck in order to sustain their "as of recent" enviable standard of living. If they even find the time to smile at you or do it as a common courtesy, be grateful. I suppose you would rather prefer the gruff Russian or French waiter/waitress without the smile because they are tooooo busy thinking of important, weighty matters and cannot find the time or energy to smile even if only for commercial gain. Even the Chinese manage to always smile soooo politely. I guess this indicates they are devoid of more serious thought processes according to the above article. May I suggest the following. You seem to be a twenty something aspiring journalist on a slow news weekend trying to develop the art of satire and sarcasim. However, you have offended a number of readers without effectively making your point. Satire and sarcasim should allow a reader to overlook the offending comments even if they are directed at himself or herself and absorb the message he or she would otherwise ignore or deny. Perhaps, your editor was too busy thinking about leaving early and going to the beach on a beautiful day, and did not give you or your article the attention they so sorely deserved at this stage of your career. So read Ray Hanania, Mike Royko (deceased master of satire and sarcasim, appeared in daily in each and every Chicago paper at one time over his career), Art Buckwald, ... ect. or any other master of this journalistic form before you submit another POORLY DEVELOPED, INCOMPLETE, AND INEFFECTIVE article like this one and delay your editor's well deserved weekend for even a moment. I thank you, other YNET reader wish to thank you, and on behalf of your editor, I beg to presume to offer his thanks also. Try again. Looking forward to reading your next attempt in the not to distant future. . . . Don't call us, we'll call you . . . Make sure to close the door on your way out . . . ect. ect. You get the idea. (At least read some of Ray Hanania's stuff before you try this again.) :-)

I am somewhat confused. This piece was certainly meant as a joke, right? Let's look at Shaked's little thesis: "Why should someone whose career pinnacle thus far is serving grand lattes smile?" Like most leftist liberals this guy is obviously a sickening elitist. So what, the people in the food service industry are just worthless, miserable, wretches? The guy serving my coffee at the local Starbuck's is incredibly better at his job than Shaked is at writing. "So you were promoted? You were transferred to a corner office? You got a secretary and a luxury vehicle? It’s time to rest, brother." And this is why Israel has a crowd of worthless politicians heading their govt. These clowns have "gotten to the top" and think it's their right to sit and "rest" while everyone else in Israel is expected to foot the bill. "The American smile is meaningless." Amerians are quick to smile because they are, by and large, happy. They have respect for themselves because they work hard at whatever job they have and do not expect others to take care of them. They love life. They like their fellow men and women. They are not cynical. You, on the other hand, obviously have no reason to smile. Your writing skills would not impress the average Jr. Higher from Iowa. You have your job because Israeli media is largely leftist, liberal, and weak minded. You think you are better than the millions of people "stuck in dead end jobs" and dspise your country men and others. Keep your scowl and your love for despotic militaries. I'll keep my smiles.

Why Vano and Goga keep looking in the mouth of their disgraced president. Can’t they see that we will not pay for letting oil flow through Georgia. We are way too Western to tip off the waiter, whose only job is to hold the candle. Did The New Zealand experience not teach anybody anything? What is it their goal, to have someone make a movies using scenery of Caucase Mountains, like Lord of Rings, or do they actually desire to become a launch pad for a real war of no lesser proportion? May be they did live out of their earthly minds and consider themselves a movie personage.

When I was in ulpan years ago, I learned the word for "radish". Doing my homework, I wrote a series of ridiculous sentences involving radishes. I thought I was being very clever. But what I wrote was nonsense. Just like this article.

Nice to see that all the world is full of anti-american people regardles of their own best intrest. I gess it is time to pull back into our own shores and let the rest of the world destroy itself then we as aUnited States clean up what's left of the world and her people because people like the Russian leadership and this writer would have genicide on mass scale as well as Nations destorying nations as long as it was not in his back yard. But I'd bet this Man would be the 1st to yell at theUS if we did not help him and his people Time after Time after time....

This TRASH -- everything from Bashing on America (for ... their smiles?! are you kidding me?!) To bashing on Georgia, the latest victim To supporting Putin's aggression and renewed despotism Makes me seriously consider that it is time to return to Jpost or Haaretz. I've seen enough other off-the-wall trash articles (usually 'deut') to make this an impending decision.

The Russian operation was very efficient. What a blizt! Those Georgians were US trained or trained at McDonald's ? ; )

Your article made me smile. The Russians are right. You're right too.

I am just confused by the article. The author has strung words together that do not make much sense. What does Starbucks employees smiling have to do with the invasion of Georgia? Smiling is a universal sign of friendliness. What does the author want to say? Maybe the seller should curse you for having bought a coffee and for having "done him/her a favour"???

i thought the only moron was the writter of this atricle - that is until i read your talkback. now i see there are two morons.

I smile because it is contagous. You smile, someone smiles back, and so on and so forth. It takes no effort to smile, what is so hard about it? Researchers have proven that when you smile and you have good posture, your mood is improved as well. How hard is it to smile? A lot less difficult than it is to write about how pointless it is to do so.

We've been trying to get rid of the Soviet socialist mentality ground into our society after nearly 40 years of Labor rule ever since Begin's revolution in 1977. So far it has been an uphill climb. But hey, at least we can watch color tv (they were banned under Labor governments) and we have more than the one official government channel that we did then. This Ra'anan guy is a baby - he isn't old enough to appreciate just how stupid things were 30 years ago.

or maybe facsim? that were also very "serious" people and not so much joking. and when they smiled while killing someone they were not phony about it - they meant it

Horrible article! Need I expound on it? Oh, yes, I will. Let the Russian government win wars, and next thing, NO, there will be NO smile, NO freedom of speech, NO freedom of expression, NO democracy. Oh and before I forget, NO freedom of press. But hey, that actually sounds like a good idea after reading such a mediocre article written by one of those "rebel without a cause" type that is more concerned about fomenting controversy than serious reporting. One word: SAD!