Our Man Elli finally reports on his US tour

Our Man Elli in Israel, our correspondent in the Mideast, came to America last month from his home base in Jerusalem, where he's been working as a TV news reporter for the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. The native New Yorker and subject of the documentary project Sex & Baseball was on a lecture tour in which he explained the reality of the war-torn region and took questions on any number of subjects. He checked in with his adventures in New York City, but had to shame him into sending a report on his travels. But he did, and here it is:

back home in jerusalem, and a still thinking how grand a trip it was to america. the highlight was driving 822 miles in 48 hours through oklahoma, kansas and missouri. there's nothing like a road trip through the heartland to reconnect with your american roots. and what could be more american than visiting spavinaw, oklahoma, the birthplace of mickey mantle. talk about a small town - i couldn't call anyone from my cell phone because there was no reception.

what struck me most while listening to the radio - and i was flipping stations throughout all 48 hours - was the vitriolic tone to the political commercials. it is clear that the democratic/republican divide is way beyond partisan politics. it was all negative slant, how the other guy - or gal - sucks, and forget about why i'm good and what i stand for. to tell you the truth, it reminds me a lot of israeli politics, and that's a bad thing.

oh yes, i also got to take in a baseball playoff game, game 1 nlcs, mets-cards. as usual, just stood outside shea and begged for a ticket, scored one an hour before game time, paid $25 for a $75 seat. forget about america, it's moments like that that bring me back to my new york roots.

thanks to all the loyal readers of tabloidbaby for keeping those cards and letters coming. not.

Thanks, Elli! Great punctuation. Not. Now, what did you think of Borat?