All Souls Day

Palms at Palm Plaza
get flannel bedding
for winter

And it's All Souls Day today. We had 2 Masses in the morning, one following the other. I remembered all relatives, family, friends and benefactors during the Masses. And this coming Sunday the chinese priests and religious will gather to celebrate a Mass for our families and benefactors ... that means you. Thanks for your support all these years. We are very grateful. There's a 3rd Mass tonight but I'm not going. My back is killing me.

In the parish there was a procession to the 3 cemeteries and blessing of tombs and niches. I couldn't go because I had to clean the courtyard. And it was awful because yesterday I possibly bulged a disc while moving those enormous pots (actually they're urns ... enormous urns). Some are over a meter tall and weigh over 100 kg. The pain is so bad and now I cannot walk even a few steps. If I keep standing and walking, it's less painful. But when I sit and try to stand again ... the pain is excruciating.

Police stop-and-
search at Damascus
Gate

Tension in the city as more stop-and-search have been executed by police and soldiers. It's an awful procedure; humiliating and degrading when in front of crowds ... in public. I've been through it myself so I know. yes me .. a foreigner ... was stopped and searched like an arab. And was almost shot dead as well by a soldier. I still get nervous when I see approaching soldiers ... sometimes it's panic. These experiences scar people for life.

The Health Ministry has issued a warning regarding frozen salmon ... a batch was tested with Listeria and all packs are recalled. Those sold, purchasers have been warned not to eat them. Well ... a little too late for us as we had salmon yesterday. I'm not dead yet so I guess there was no listeria in it.

Ultra-orthodox jewish ministers of parliament compared reformed, liberal jews and women to dogs. The war between the ultra-orthodox jews and the rest of jewry is deepening into the political sphere. bad sign.  http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Shas-MK-compares-non-Orthodox-Jews-to-dogs-512074

One worrying news is the escalation of tensions between Syria and Israel. Their aircrafts exchanged fire over the syrian city of Homs. That's bad.  http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Report-Israel-attacks-Syrian-weapons-depot-Arab-media-claims-512102