Anti-Christianity rises

There is a frightening rise of violence against Christians by fanatic militant Jews especially in Jerusalem. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/vatican-asks-peres-to-help-find-price-tag-culprits-1.414975  and  Christians are personally targeted http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/jerusalem-christians-are-latest-targets-in-recent-spate-of-price-tag-attacks-1.413848  Christian bashing around the world is escalating ... and all was predicted in the Book of Apocalypse.

Today there is a significant presence of soldiers and police in and out of the Old City. Don't know why ... they control the traffic ... as if looking for someone. The arabs along the street are saying something bad is about to happen.

Despite all the talk of bad news ... yesterday I saw a sign of hope - an ear of wheat, fully developed and waving with the wind, grwoing out from a crack in the wall 15 metres above an abandoned excavation site.  It's this instinctively primeval force to live in spite of all difficulties and odds that characterise the people in this land - be they arabs and jews. Everyone struggles to live ... everyone deserves the chance to survive. So stop bashing Christians!

Leviticus 19:34

The funeral of the Palestinian shot dead during the Mosque riots last Friday was marred by more violence. It took place north of Jerusalem but the City was on high alert nonetheless. Lots of soldiers and police everywhere. http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=259343  More problems expected in the territories in the near future.  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/avi-issacharoff-new-palestinian-protests-indicate-west-bank-unrest-is-due-to-erupt-1.414807  The summer will see some unrest ... but we don't know the scale of it. The next few weeks may give some indication of what's to come.

And the sad saga of deporting children born in Israel of migrant parents continue ... http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/hundreds-gather-in-tel-aviv-to-protest-deportation-of-migrant-workers-families-1.414785  All I can say to the authorities is "If a stranger lives among you in your land, do not harass him. You must count him as one of your countrymen and love him as yourself - for you were once strangers yourselves in Egypt" (Lev. 19:34)

And the nurses' strike is delayed to give negotiations a chance ... meanwhile the 3 major ports are on strike.    http://www.jpost.com/Health/Article.aspx?id=259232 

The Lenten rigors have started - Yesterday night at 11.30 pm began the 1st Lenten Vigil in the Holy Sepulchre with the chanting of the Office of Readings, procession around the Tomb and Masses all through the night. Several of our guys this morning were at breakfast with tired faces and red eyes ... yup, Lent has begun. Though fine weather is predicted for today ... the skies are dark and drizzle has begun. I need to go out and get some essentials and medicine ... hope it won't rain to heavily when I go out.

Thanks to Fox, A. Chiu, Sr. Gabriel, the Caveros for all the nice stuff. Appreciated.

More tensions

One Palestinian protester shot by police yesterday in the Mosque riot died this morning. More tensions as a result. Soldiers and police at every street corner as fears of revenge attacks on Jews begin. The loud-speakers of the main Mosque Al Aqsa have been switched off as the noon time call to prayer was significantly silent. Only a couple of smaller mosques around were calling out.  http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=259271  The next few days will not be easy ... whether a truce will be called or an escalation of violence. The last thing we need is a closing of the Old City again.

1st anemone blossom

One bright news is the bulbs that I planted last autumn have sprouted. The first anemone has blossomed. It is a deep red and looks beautiful in the background of green leaves. More buds have appeared in the other pots as well. The nasturtiums are flowering like crazy ... and soon the freesias will flower too. Nice.

The weather is once again bright after an overnight shower. Cool ... about 15 degrees. Let's hope the religious-political tensions will follow suit.

1st of Adar

The expected riots erupted this morning - arab muslim protesters throwing rocks at Israeli security. Already early in the morning, I saw lots of police and soldiers marching into the City. It was tense. Then the violence erupted later towards midday. 26 people injured.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/muslim-worshippers-israeli-police-clash-at-jerusalem-s-temple-mount-1.414627

Well the tension is likely to continue the next few days. Frankly I'm getting tired with all this violence ... I got to get out of this City or I'll go mad. Too bad it had to happen on the first day of the Jewish month of Adar - the month of great joy when Purim is celebrated.

Thanks to Mary por por and Cavero family for their generosity. All other gifts for the poor and donations - see http://holylandassist.blogspot.com

A typical morning at Damascus Gate (before the riot took place) - trucks unloading products from China or the Territories to be sold in the shops inside the Old City. Guys cart them off and earn a little something for the day. It's all hard work. The guy in the picture was overloading his cart ... just a few seconds after this photo was taken, the entire load fell off the cart and he had to repack them. Perhaps that's a lesson in life here in this City ... things fall apart, but you just have to pick up the pieces and start all over again.

Belt up

A cold day with cloudy skies and chilly winds. Tourists are noticeable lesser these days. But after a month when Easter comes round, the groups will be back. In the meantime Purim will be celebrated on March 8th. Already shops everywhere are selling wigs, costumes, sweets and everything fun. At least that'll provide a little warmth in this chilly weather we're having.

The catch

One item of interest today was the catch of a 10-foot blue shark in Akko (Acre). Apparently more sharks are frequenting the shores of Israel because of the heat from seaside electrical plants are drawing in swarms of smaller fish - food for the sharks. Many fisherman along the coast have noticed the presence of sharks ... much more than previous times ... but there're no maneaters among them. Lucky for the swimmers as the summer creeps in. Heard from my community by the sea that today there were already swimmers at the beach. Had a good laugh with them as we recalled the funny scenes last summer by the beach. Well ... it'll be nice when summer comes again.

Haven't eaten in 2 and a half days due to a severe attack of diarrhea. But having to run around the past 3 days for work, I almost fainted this afternoon. Just too weak. Luckily I had some white rice and a piece of fish later in the afternoon. I realised that to have rice cooked in plain water, I either have to do it myself (which is difficult) or I have to go to the Chinese/Japanese restaurant to buy a bowl of it (US$2). So consider how lucky you are! Penance for me this Lent is to eat more - since I'm practically fasting the whole year. I guess I must have lost another couple of inches round the waist because my jeans nearly fell off this afternoon - hahahaha. It was a Castro brand with 28" waist ... so I guess I'm thinner than 28" now. Time to buy a belt - its cheaper than buying another pair of jeans.

Ash Wednesday

Lent begins today ... fasting and abstinence, distribution of ashes. Day of repentance and remorse ... but sadly a day when 2 great journalists were killed in Syria - Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik. The reportage of the recent wars in the last years owe much to their courage in their reportage despite all the dangers. Also killed was civilian reporter Rani Al Saayad whose blogs updated minute by minute violence in the beleaguered city of Homs. What Marie said in her last report rings so true ... her sense of despair and hopeless when she realised the rest of the world is no longer interested in helping the Syrians from a massacre. The hypocrisy of the West - so eager to attack Afghanistan and Iraq, and helping the rebellion in Libya - in not batting an eyelid when Syria is involved ... is it because there is no oil to be gotten there?  The answer is more than that - it's the existence of Israel at stake. Now French and British govts pay lip-service in honouring Marie and Remi ... hollow words echoing from hollow hearts. Hats off to Bashar Assad ... Mubarak, Saddam, Gaddaffi, Ben Ali are all gone, but Assad stands high above these guys ... he remains, he survives and he kills without any fear of consequence because the West is tacitly behind him.

So we begin Lent with Ash Wednesday ... we turn to repentance and remorse for the rapacious greed and self-interest of the West because they no longer have a conscience to repent and be remorseful. As ash is sprinkled over our heads, we think of sprinkling ashes at the West and say "Remember you are dust, and unto dust you will return". The horrors of the Book of Apocalypse unfolds before us ... and the promise that God's wrathful and devastating justice will come ... and all this farce for power and wealth will return to dust.

Tension over

Military barricade at 3rd Station

Tensions for the past 2 days in the Old City. Heavy military presence in most of the City Gates, blockades and check-points at all street intersections. It all started on Sunday when some Jews tried to enter the Dome of the Rock Mosque (Al Aqsa). That's where the Jewish Temple used to stand, and the entry was a token sign to destroy the mosque and rebuild the Temple. Muslim youths protested and a scuffle resulted. From what we hear in the streets, 3 were wounded. Today there will be another attempt by the Jews to enter the compound ... and a stronger protest is being planned by the muslims. Dreadful tension in the City. But by evening we were assured that nothing serious happened. There was relative calm because the massive military presence was a deterring factor. Phew!!!

The Hong Kong syndrome has hit Israel - panic buying/selling of non essentials. This time there's a panic rush to sell candies and chocolates because a boycott was called.  http://www.haaretz.com/business/israeli-supermarkets-rush-to-sell-strauss-candy-in-wake-of-consumer-unrest-1.413892   Companies and supermarkets are afraid they cannot sell their huge stock meant for the Purim festival if a boycott goes through. Well .. I'm thinking of the thousands of poor children who never enjoy such luxuries. It's such an unfair world.

Hailstorm

Hail filled flower pot

Tortoise in hailstorm

Two days of hail. The weather was stormy. Up north there was heavy snow but down south we had hail. Though the hail was small, the constant shower was heavy and left the roads very slippery.  It bounces off you and one of our poor tortoises got caught in the midst of the hailstorm. Must have frightened it. Anyway it was so cold - one degree I think - the tortoise probably slept it away.

hail on my sleeve

I took the usual Sunday walk with Buscemi - got caught in the hailstorm and blustery winds. It was very cold. Then later in the afternoon I had to go out to finish a job at Ratisbonne. Got caught again the storm. Decided to take a taxi there instead of walking the 2km uphill. There was very light snow for a few minutes ... the type that melts before it lands. And we had alot of graupel.

Damascus Gate this morning

There was trouble in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound this morning. Heard that some Jews tried to enter the mosque and tensions arose. It's the usual hotspot when Jews annually try to tear down the mosque and rebuild the Temple - a token action of course, but very provocative. Police and soldiers everywhere in the City as a result. Damascus Gate was partially closed and soldiers stationed there were checking everyone entering it.

So between the hailstorm and the tension in the City, I think everyone felt best to stay indoors, keep warm and get out of trouble.

Snow?

The storm has finally arrived to batter the country. Gale-force winds rip across the City, sending everything in its path up and away. Then the rains and hail came. Heavy. And now everyone is hoping for snow later tonight or tomorrow morning. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-battens-down-for-storm-as-jerusalem-awaits-maiden-snowfall-1.413362

Temperatures will fall down to 1 degree tonight. I haven't left my room the whole day ... got my two radiators on and drinking lots of water. But looks like lots of people will still go out for a special exhibition - flown in from all the way in China: ice sculptors. So much for adding chill to the cold.  http://www.haaretz.com/culture/arts-leisure/get-your-coats-as-jerusalem-gears-for-chilly-ice-sculptor-delight-1.413292

And as if the economy isn't bad enough, now there're no chickens in the market because inspection fees have gone up by 650%!!!!!!

So much for the weekend ... neither the weather nor economy nor politics are giving up battering us.

Day of tragedy

In memory of the school children

Dreadful disaster this morning as 10 school children were killed and 30 others wounded when their school bus was ploughed through by a truck. They came from a school in the village of Anata (Old Testament Anatoth where the prophet Jeremiah lived). The rains were heavy and the wind was very strong. And sadly drivers continue to heedlessly rush in bad weather, killing innocent people. Everyone in the country is shocked.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/10-killed-as-palestinian-children-s-bus-truck-collide-near-jerusalem-1.413257 and http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=258066 and  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17057579  And then, there were comments of satisfaction that only Palestinians were killed, and some other outright racist comments - all posted on the PM's facebook  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/after-jerusalem-crash-racist-comments-appear-on-netanyahu-s-facebook-page-1.413370

And in the wake of terrorist attacks on Israeli diplomats in Georgia, India and Thailand, local newspapers have now revealed that an assassination plot on Israeli Defense Minister when he visited Singapore was foiled last week. http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=258077

The weather is getting from bad to worse ... and forecast for Jerusalem this weekend is snow. It'll drop to 1 degree.  http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=258075  Today there's heavy snowfall up in the north, while strong winds and rain batter the south. Not good for tourists but locals are grateful for the rain. However we hope there'll be no more accidents.

Gaza's fuel has run out and there is no electricity nor heating this weekend when freezing weather overcomes the region. I hope the heat-packs are sufficient for our poor christians in there, as well as dynamo-charged torchlights. I haven't had any word from Mother Teresa's sisters living in there.

And as if things are black enough, now we have news that the ultra-orthodox jewish push for segregation of the sexes in public places have hit a high note when the guest of honour at a Conference on Child Safety - the Deputy Health Minister no less - walked out when a girls' choir began to sing.  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/ultra-orthodox-israeli-minister-walks-out-on-girls-choir-at-child-safety-conference-1.413184

Of Valentine's Day and Lent

Blossoming almond tree

The temperature has been consistently dropping. It even drizzled today. Forecast is heavy rain tonight and tomorrow ... and talk of snow during the weekend abound in the streets. Well all I can say is - it's very cold. The sunny spell we had last week is history.

Bouquet of tulips

However signs of Spring are everywhere. The almond trees are in bloom - a sure sign that Spring is round the corner. And the tulips are also blossoming in the parks. Yesterday the Singapore bunch gave me a bouquet of tulips for Valentine's Day. The tulips were scented ... something I never knew tulips were. It was a nice surprise. Valentine's Day is pretty kitsch - filled with heart-shaped cushions, teddy bears ... all made in China. Tacky. Parties cost over 150 shekels per head and so most local youths can't afford to join in. My friend Firas wanted to bring his girlfriend to one of these parties but because of the steep prices, he had to call it off. Poor chap.

Sr. Vincenta and her success

Lent is next week. As tradition dictates, our sisters made ponschski (jelly doughnuts) to celebrate the last week before 40 days of fasting. Sr. Vincenta has been trying hard to master this art. Her first try last week ended up with doughnuts that were small and hard like stones. We had a good laugh and she was terribly embarrassed. She refused to let me photo them. Today - 2nd try and it was much better. The dough rose and it was not overcooked, though the jelly inside were too little and dry. But it was a good try. This time she allowed me to photo them!

So another season of Spring and Lent enters our calendar. We move on ... looking forward to Easter.

Monday 13th

Big uproar when stone from the Wailing Wall are found to be on sale on eBay!!! The Wailing Wall rabbi is furious!  http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/ebay-sale-of-western-wall-stones-prompts-outcry-in-jewish-world-1.412687   Welcome to the world of relics ....

And terror alert as Israel's embassies in New Delhi and Tbilisi are attacked. The diplomat's wife in Delhi was wounded by a bomb.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/wife-of-israeli-diplomat-wounded-in-car-blast-near-new-delhi-embassy-1.412661

Garbage pile at Mea Shearim

An eyesore and health hazard

But what really upsets everyone is the uncollected garbage piling up in the streets. When the wind blows, the stench of rotting refuse wafts through the air. And plastic and paper fly all over the place. The main streets in the City look like a war zone with all the litter strewn everywhere. People tiptoe over and around the slop and gooey waste. Utterly unpleasant.

The weather has been unbelievable today! 26 degrees! Summer arrived? Well the forecast is for cold and rain from Wednesday onwards. It won't be nice but we need the rain. The wild flowers will benefit from it. And researchers at Ben Gurion University have confirmed what I always knew - plants do communicate with each other.  http://www.jpost.com/Health/Article.aspx?id=257558  I wonder what the flowers say when they have uncollected garbage surrounding them ....

Wings of love

The general strike continues ... now with public bus drivers. And the sanitation dept. is still continuing the strikes so the streets will still be littered with gathering trash. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/trains-back-on-track-but-garbage-piles-up-as-strike-continues-1.412358   The bad news is that Israelis are one of the world's biggest creators of trash.  http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/can-israel-become-garbage-free-1.411944   But the airport and train services are getting back to work. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-train-services-airports-to-resume-operations-as-general-strike-continues-1.412338

Sharks' fins are not only a delicacy in Asia ... apparently here in Israel it's sold fresh in the markets ... illegally though. Shark fishing is prohibited but it hasn't stopped some fisherman. Nor locals who want alternative medicine.  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/illegal-shark-fishing-in-the-mediterranean-on-the-rise-1.412356

And the exchange of rockets and missile fire between Israel and Gaza has caused more deaths.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-killed-three-injured-in-israeli-air-raid-on-gaza-1.412374

"Under wings of love ... "

And of course, talk about town is the sudden death of Whitney Houston. No doubt lots of tears will be shed for her ... but I wonder what of the hundreds who will die today in Syria? Who will cry for them?

So much bad news over the weekend.  Maybe a little reassurance of Divine Providence is in place here ... a little consolation that God still cares despite all the bad news.

By the way, I was intrigued by today's date 2.12.12  - it occurs only once in a hundred years, the next being 2112.

Aristotle on Saturday

The streets are littered with uncollected garbage as the general strike enters the weekend. It's unbelievable. There are many rats in the City so I hope this won't lead to a plague. The stray cats are intimidated by those monster rats. It's not a very nice sight for tourists ... but they zoom in and out of tourist spots so quickly, they won't notice anything except perhaps for the stench.

Post offices are closed. Municipality offices are closed. Don't know what else is affected. Luckily today is the Sabbat so no one needs these institutions for 24 hours.

The weather has been fine these two days. Very sunny and warm. I think 16 degrees or so. And today my stomach is holding out well, just cramps but no diarrhea - probably because I've not been eating. The shoulder problem is also much better.

Right now I'm reading Aristotle's The Art of Rhetoric. Heavy stuff. Get a big headache each time I open the book. I'll try and see if I can understand anything. It's Sabbat today so I'm wondering if reading such heavy stuff is considered work. Perhaps we should ban Aristotle on Sabbat ... that way we can relax. Or we could go on strike like the rest of the country.

Tram adventure

An absolute wild goose chase yesterday. Had to renew my passport so I was told to go to Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv. Travelled about 70 plus km to get there. Went by bus, then switched to taxi from Tel Aviv. Taxi driver didn't know the place so I dropped off and walked around and asked alot of people till finally I found the building. Got inside the building after security check, but couldn't enter the elevator section because entry is only by electronic security card which employees have. Walked around and found the information counter. They told me the office was closed. It moved 10 days ago to another place and they don't know where. Totally flustered and annoyed. They found an old security guard who had their phone number. Called them up and they told me they moved to Modiin which is 40 km back from where I came. Now I really got furious. I didn't have enough money to travel all that journey. Anyway to make the long story short, I was very tired, cold and angry over the long distances I had to travel from city to city only for nothing.

Then at night I had a high fever, a bad headache and a very severe diarrhea. The worst in all these months. Absolute horror of 24 hours. This morning I was just to weak and tired to function. I also hurt my right shoulder pretty badly. I can't move my right side without pain. Didn't sleep a wink.

Anyway to cheer up, here's a picture of 3 packs of Chinese New Year cookies that arrived a few days ago from my family. The group that help bring it over is a lively young company who came to visit Fr Val (not me, to be on the record). They are having a great time learning about the land and the Bible. And eating alot of local food - Singaporean style. Like for St Peter's fish, they put Turkish salad on it .... de gustibus non est disputandum.

The infamous dish of fish and Turkish salad

The general strike in Israel is not abating ... everything is affected some way or other.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/general-strike-in-israel-to-continue-after-last-ditch-negotiations-fail-1.412041  That may well explain  my running up and down the country for nothing yesterday. Nothing seems to work.

And I had a pretty big adventure yesterday evening - I took my first tram ride on the Light Rail. The ticketing machine was not working so a group of us lining up had to run across the tracks to buy the tickets on the other platform. The tram came and I missed it. But anyway I got on the next one. Must have looked totally petrified and lost because an american girl and another (looks asian) came up to me separately to ask if I needed help. What a laugh ... I managed to get to my destination safely for a meeting. And back.

Arbor Day

A lone anemone

Yellow and purple flowers

Wild cyclamen

Tu B'Shvat or Arbor Day is celebrated today. The almond trees are in full bloom and the fields are carpetted with brilliant wild flowers. Spring is on ... and the earth is not holding back. The splash of colours is amazing. My friend Ami went out to the fields with his friends on a picnic the whole day just to enjoy the wild flowers. Great way to spend a day.  Tel Aviv feted its ancient trees in a new book.  http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/tel-aviv-fetes-its-221-000-trees-on-tu-bishvat-1.411605  I wonder if they'd thought about how many trees were required to be felled and processed to produce the paper to print this book about trees worth saving. The irony of it all.

A field of wild anemones

The weather is wonderfully warm - 15 degrees or so. The air is crispy and the perfume of wild flowers is very hynoptic.

Work goes on as usual. The daily routine. A general strike was effective this morning - affecting many public institutions including the airport.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-s-national-labor-court-to-decide-fate-of-general-strike-1.411751  Hope it won't last through the week. Luckily the flowers don't go on strike.

Yuen Xiu Festival

Chinese fried noodles arab style

So its the 15th day of the Lunar New Year - Yuen Xiu or Chap Go Meh. The Singapore group of 7 youths are celebrating it with Val at mandarin Restaurant. I'm staying home because of severe diarrhea. That's because I had some chinese noodles for lunch with the group .... not that there was anything wrong with the noodles. The rest ate it and feel fine. Its my system's intolerance for oil that's causing all the diarrhea and cramps. Too bad for me.

Salmon waffle, Belgian waffle

Yesterday the group arrived to visit Val. Had brunch at the Waffle bar in Hillel Street. Really large portions and they enjoyed it very much. Its amazing how many varieties of waffles they can come up with.

And talking about food, thanks to my family for sending up Chinese New Year goodies. The pineapple tarts were delicious but were so smashed up I had to use a spoon to eat it!!!! Oh well, you can't have it all.

Now back to the weather - deliciously bright and sunny but cold. We're hoping Europe would share some of its snow with us. The rains for the past week has raised the level of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River ... but still insufficient. We need more rain and a couple of days of snow. Students throughout the country are still slogging for exams.

The lightbulb in my bathroom has blown again. Because the roof is so high - 20 feet high - its not possible for me to change the bulb alone. I need a super high ladder. But asking for help is a daily trial. The arab worker will say "today" but he means tomorrow. And this drags on for 5 days now. I'm using the bathroom by candlelight. It's as bad as eating pineapple tarts with a spoon!!!

Of Spring and hibernation

Flowering clover

The weather has been holding out pretty well these last 2 days. Sunny, crispy and nippy. This has caused a sudden burst of life from the plants that have been sleeping in the cold. Clover especially has been prolifically flowering along every field, crack and slope.

Almond trees have also begun blossoming. An amazing sight - a bare tree weighed down by pinkish-white flowers. That's a sure sign of Spring.

Silhoutte of protesters in a setting sun

Taking advantage of this weather, a small group of Syrian supporters staged a protest against President Bashar Assad. They waved the Syrian flag and chanted slogans calling for Assad to go. Palestinians gathered around the protest at Damascus Gate ... mainly out of curiosity. Police were also present but they had nothing to fear. There was and is no desire nor will from the Palestinians to do the same with Israel as they have lost unity, vision and hope. A cowed people "walking in its sleep, searching for its own awakening" - to quote Khalil Gibran.  The Arab Spring has been more of a Palestinian Winter Hibernation.

The arrival hall's lights and columns

Meantime an early errand to the airport to pick up some friends of a friend brought my attention to some details of the arrival hall at the airport ... like the delicate lights surrounding the mellow yellow of the ceiling, shimmering like fairy lights. And the columns of the hall resembling the papyrus/lotus columns of ancient Egyptian Temples. It was rather delightful to notice these things.

Well that moment of awe at the architectural beauty ended almost just as quickly when swarms of tourists came out into the hall, causing alot of chatting, rattling luggages, barking dogs (dogs are allowed in Israel's airport) and ceaseless ringing of cell phones. And the cash machines cling ... as tourist dollars roll in. There may be no Arab Spring in Israel, but the Palestinian Winter hibernation is bringing in big money. Better rich but restricted rather than free but poor. Practical sense rules.

Crispy day

This morning at Safra Square

The weather has gone bright and sunny, the air very crispy. People have gone outdoors again to enjoy the weather. Military presence was heightened as muslims crowds came to the Mosque to pray. Well, we won't expect a fiasco like Egypt saw yesterday during the football match. Absolutely appalling. It's the talk of town ... how could it possibly happen? Eveyrone is talking of a conspiracy.

And Friday 3rd saw a series of amazing events in the arab villages:  What a nightmare for the poor Israeli soldier who was left behind in an arab village after a night raid. The real heroes are the two arab village elders who acted honorably by saving his life and escorting him to the security wall back to his platoon. That was how the two men who had their village raided acted to their enemy who raided them.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-suspends-officer-after-soldier-left-behind-in-west-bank-1.410938  But of course you'll never find any news report thanking them let alone praising them. Meantime a french activist was wounded by Israeli soldiers during a West Bank demonstration in an arab village.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-french-woman-wounded-by-idf-gas-grenade-in-west-bank-demonstration-1.410945  And an entire arab village has gone on hunger strike to raise world awareness of their plight being surrounded by Jewish settlements.  http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/twilight-zone-this-is-no-life-1.410809

I have this urge to visit Samaria again ... it's been a long time since I was there - partly due to the blockade and security wall. Jacob's well, Tomb of John the Baptist, ancient Shechem .... perhaps I might just do that one of these days.

Bad day

Feb. 2nd started off badly. The first news I received was the death of Theresa Lau. She was our collaborator ad good friend, working in our Bible Centre office and escorting pilgrim groups to the Holyland till sickness rendered this impossible. She returned to Australia to be with her family and for cure and recuperation. Only a fews weeks back her father died. Do say a prayer for Theresa. I'm sure she's in heaven. R.I.P.

The whole night I had terrible pain in my left thumb. Couldn't even sleep. It was dreadfully swollen and stiff. Arthritis. Don't know how it came about though I do have arthritis in my other fingers, but these didn't swell up last night. Will have to check what went wrong.

An israeli friend invited me to his house yesterday evening. Had a nice chat, tea with hyssop leaves and tried my first nargile. That's the arabic water pipe. Not bad. Most people here can't believe that after 20 years here, I never tried a nargile. Well it's true. And it wasn't as bad as I thought. nice apple flavour.

The weather switched back to sunny and bright with temp. of 16 degrees. But by evening a freezing wind blew back and the skies got dark again. Had to boil water and put the hot water bottle back in the canary cage.

Well I'm glad today is passing off. We'll remember Theresa in our prayers.

February 1st

How quickly time flies. January is gone. Everyone is remarking about it.

There was lightening and thunder this morning, and the dark rain clouds continued to envelope the city the whole day. It rained and rained. In fact the papers say this is the wettest January on record.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/january-rainfall-breaks-all-time-israeli-record-with-29-wet-days-1.410386   Which is good ... if you're staying home studying. I had to stay home because the diarrhea and cramps have not abated. Its quite a trial. Ate a little white cheese and wheat biscuits for lunch. And the elbow tendonitis really acted up today as well. Thought I got it back into place but somehow today it must have recurred. Yes, everyone is blaming the weather for the bouts of ill health everyone else is suffering ... but I'm not convinced.

Unnamed streets in Jaffa can now be named after arabs. This is interesting. No doubt it's going to cause a stir in certain circles. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/tel-aviv-votes-to-name-jaffa-streets-after-arabs-1.410296  

Nothing remarkable today ... the usual work, study, read routine. Let's see what Feb. 2nd brings.