Cell Phones

The first cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola. I'm sure that soon afterwards, the company wrote instructions of use for the new device. Unfortunately, those instructions were either never translated to Hebrew or simply not delivered to the majority of Israelis. There's also a possibility that this wasn't Motorola's fault and the instructions were actually in Hebrew and delivered to every single user of cell phones but that their customers simply ignored these useful guidelines and made up their own rules. However, this would be completely uncharacteristic of Israel so I'm guessing that once again we've witnessed great injustice against our tiny country. Therefore, now we have an entire nation with an average of 2.5 cell phones per person and not a clue on how to appropriately operate a "pelephone" (pele = wonder). Listed are some pointers that I'd personally suggest for:
1. There is no reason to shout at the top of your lungs when speaking on the phone. The person on the other end can hear through his receiver. Along the same lines, you can keep the phone next to your ear at all times while speaking at a regular volume without having to move this tiny device between your mouth and the above mentioned ear.
2. While everyone enjoys listening to neighbor's private conversations, at least make it more difficult for us by refraining from using speakerphone at all times.
3. A cell phone is not a boombox.
4. I repeat, a cell phone is not a boombox.
5. It's possible to control the volume of an incoming ring tone. To elaborate, control the volume of an incoming ring tone. To elaborate some more, turn down the volume of an incoming ring tone!
6. In some countries it's considered rude and unprofessional to converse on your cell phone while at work. Specifically, employees of post offices shouldn't ignore out-the-door customer lines while gossiping with their friends. (On an unrelated topic, for a country whose citizens spend a few years in uniform, there's an urgent need to also institute a dress code in the work place)
7. If your phone does not have a video conversation feature, the person on the line cannot see your hand gestures. Therefore, waiving your hands like a maniac makes you look like a maniac.
8. Saying "Allo" without answering the phone first will lead to having to repeat saying "Allo".

By the way, I'm convinced that all one would need to know almost everything about a particular Israeli is to see them answer and talk on the phone and observe their "Rega". I'll explain the latter first. Rega and the accompanying hand sign is equivalent of an American way to hold out your index finger while saying "Just a second". Unlike its American counterpart though, the variance in Rega is mind boggling. One can utilize their entire hand or just two fingers. The Rega can be thrown repeatedly or calmly raised. There is a possibility of facial expressions or head and neck movements. Almost every day I discover new and creative ways or different people's Rega.
As far as the phone conversation, it all begins with "Allo". Once again, the range is almost unlimited. It can be quick and annoyed, friendly, inquisitive, lazy (Aaaaaallllllllllyo), impatient, etc. The ensuing conversation just flows from there and usually ends with "yalla, bye" for some, "beseder" for others or some assortment of Hebrew, Russian, English or Arabic.

Everybody in Israel has at least one cell phone. Wouldn't it be nice if they also knew how to use it?