Another day of conferences

Dominican Fr Radcliffe at talk

Yesterday was another day of conferences. The morning was the Dies Academicus that our school shares with the Dominican Ecole Biblique. We used to have our own separate events but since it's only 1 week apart - we have it on the feast of Duns Scotus on Nov.8 while the dominicans have theirs on the feast of St. Albert the Great on Nov.15 - so we decided to do it together. That way the usual VIPs such as the bishops and nuncio need not have to come twice in a week.

The talk was given by Timothy Radcliffe, the former Master General of the Dominican Order. His talk was very amusing, with lots of funny anecdotes ... but within a very relevant and insightful topic on the importance of biblical scholarship. Immediately after that I had to rush off to do some errands ... which includes settling a problem in the bank. You guys are lucky you never ever have to experience local service at the bank. Here you wait from half an hour to 3 hours not knowing if you ever will be served. Then they send you form one counter to another. Then they stop to chat with each other, file their nails, drink coffee, go out for a smoke ... all totally unregulated ... and you never know if it's your turn. Then they start to serve their friends first even though they're 50 people behind the line from you.

Illuminated buildings on Jaffa Street

After that at 2.30pm there was a lecture at our school by Dr. Vorros, archeologist at King Herod's Palace called Macheronte in Jordan. I couldn't go as I had class from 1.30pm to 4pm. After that there was another lecture by Dr. Sheridan on Coptic exegesis as used in the egyptian fathers of the Church. That lasted from 5pm to 6.30pm. In between these talks I had to watch the maingate because we close at 5pm but there were participants of the talk coming late ... till 5.20pm. Then in between Sheridan's talk, a student and I had to rush about preparing the refreshments.

By 7pm I was so utterly exhausted I just to bed and slept. Before that the sisters made me eat something as I was dead hungry. It was plain rice with spinach ... which I like.I hadn't eaten anything all day.

There is this awful and distressing news about how much food is being wasted in America everyday while people are dying of starvation in Yemen. It's a crime.  https://www.ted.com/talks/tristram_stuart_the_global_food_waste_scandal

Another terrible news is that the Israeli A.G. has supported Israel's right to annex Palestinian private land in Palestine. It's like me a foreigner living in Israel and claiming land for myself. Unbelievable.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.823001