Funeral Day of former President

100s of black security cars to
transport heads of state lined the
entire King Solomon Street

Shimon Peres was buried today. It was the highest security event ever to be organized. Shin Bet the national security agency admitted that it was unprecedented in Israel's history: 70 world leaders including 20 presidents, 5 heads of state and royalty, 15 foreign ministers and many more dignitaries. The burial took place at 11.30 and the roads gradually reopened although some major routes are still closed, such as the highway to the airport.

It was good to see Palestinian president and Israeli PM speaking civilly at the wake. Even PM's wife spoke to the Palestinian president. I guess Peres succeeded in death what he sought for in life ... getting the 2 enemies to talk. Well Peres wasn't always the peace-maker that we remember him as .. he had had a long life - 93 yrs in all ... and the early years saw him as a tough zionist who started the settlement movement, displacement of countless palestinians, confiscation of palestinian lands ... things that palestinians today remember him for. But in the course of his long life he saw the need for moderation and change .... hence his move from rightwing to leftwing (center left is more correct). That takes political bravery in a volatile region like Israel.

I was laughing when I read The Straits Times' FaceBook article that Singapore will add 60 more CCTV for security reasons to the existing 70. In our Old City alone we have 320 CCTVs !!!! The moment you enter the Old City your every move is monitored ... you can't escape. http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/60-more-locations-to-get-cctv-cameras-to-deter-illegal-parking-from-oct-6?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&xtor=CS1-10#link_time=1475140775

Via Dolorosa is
empty

With the sudden influx of political leaders from around the world in our neighborhood the security inside the Old City was equally high. The streets remained quiet and deserted despite being Friday. Via Dolorosa was empty even at 11am. All night and morning, security helicopters were flying overhead ... making sleep impossible. Poor Buddy was frightened all night and hid under my pillow till morning. Classes at Ratisbonne (Salesian Theological College) were almost cancelled as roads around the institute were closed. They reopened only much later and classes resumed.

My shoulder gave me a lot of pain last night ... I think it partially slipped out of joint again. The pain was excruciating and kept me awake all night. Good thing ... because Buddy was very afraid of the helicopters and noisy soldiers in the street. He flew to my bed and tried to hide under the pillows. So i stayed up with him and it was a good bonding opportunity. For once he was looking for food!!