Thanks

Grateful thanks to Mavien, Francesco, the Little People, Mabel Shek, St Joseph's Ladies Guild, anonymous and Rose Chiu for the food and gifts.

Also belated thanks to the April group for bringing the gifts over from : Ma Po Ling and Anthony, Rose Chiu, Bertha (Rosary Church),Kwok Yee Shan (Martin's group) and Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church.

Have a pathetic day

So the PM today paid lip-service to yesterday's hate vandalism by denouncing it as un-Jewish. Stop. No call for police to follow up, no promise to catch the culprits ... this form of condescension (a consolation  pat on the back) has reached a point of insult. But arabs and christians don't have the guts to protest or push for their rights either. Pathetic.

Meanwhile Haaretz came up with an article on the security of the Old City: there are 320 security cameras watching your every move the moment you enter the Old City till the second you leave it. Nice to know .... hmmmm so how come they can't use it to identify hate-crime vandals? Pathetic.

A sunrise that promises nothing

But the weather is changing for the better. Now that's a plus. And many arab muslim friends are getting married quick ... before Ramadan begins on 10th July. A couple of my friends were married last week. Good for them. But when you don't have a job, or a house (still living with parents) or an Identity Card ... getting married may not be as blissful as you think. Wife is stuck in the Palestinian Territories while husband lives in Israel. Stressful .... and pathetic.

So much for today ... can't wait for the sun to set and see how much worse tomorrow will be.

Elusive peace

More hate vandalism perpetrated this week  http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Police-investigate-alleged-price-tag-attack-316649  ... and still no one arrested. It's been going on for 2 years now and finally we have an answer ... a judge complained that the police "creates far too many hitches in bringing detainees to court, and this [example] is far from unusual." Wow ...  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/judge-slams-west-bank-police-for-hitches-in-bringing-jewish-suspects-to-court.premium-1.530042

And the young zionist govt. leader Bennett has practically called an end to the 2 State solution (Israel and Palestine) and for Israel to take over parts of Palestine. Not a good sign ... recipe for a war.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idea-of-a-two-state-solution-has-reached-dead-end-bennett-says.premium-1.530310

Olive trees are flowering .... but it's
a symbol of an elusive peace

And hostile attitudes are not just found in the political arena. The candidature of Chief Rabbi is up for discussion and one candidate is being verbally then physically attacked by rival rabbis' followers. The ex-Chief Rabbi fired the first shot and publicly criticising the candidate's character and that started the snowball rolling. Last night the rabbi candidate was physically attacked during a wedding.  http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Chief-rabbinate-candidate-attacked-at-wedding-316798  

Meantime while most primary and secondary schools have started the summer holidays, higher institutions are in the midst of exams. Graduation ceremonies and parties are being organised in many restaurants and hotels. A big step for these young people who'll start life in the real world ... jobless, taxes, high prices .... good luck to them.

So the summer starts with these troubling thoughts. Peace is still as ever elusive here. 

Summer Attractions

The past 2 days saw Israel's first ever Formula One race. The traffic jams it caused was beyond any imagination. As Jerusalem has no straight road longer than 1km, the route had to use the tiny one-lane curving streets all around the Old City toward Bethlehem and back. Unbelievable.

And the series of other summer events are rolling into place. This summer is the most exciting we've ever had. So many things going on to see and hear, it's leaving us breathless. I think all these festivities will end in October with the annual Crusader festival inside the Old City. Always loved that one.

Sunset over Andromeda's Rock
in Jaffa 2 days ago

Jerusalem is not the only spot for summer activities. Tel Aviv has its own festivities as well ... and while Jerusalem has its antiquities as highlight, Tel Aviv has its beaches. That usually means Tel Aviv usually hosts events for younger crowds while Jerusalem hosts family-oriented events. Be that as it may ... my highlights of both cities are different: Jerusalem has the best sunrise and Tel Aviv the best sunsets. Go see it for yourself! And by the way Psi is coming to do his Gangnam style in one of the summer events. The Ministry of Tourism is really desperate here.

I'm not so sure I'll be able to enjoy all the summer festivities though. Feeling ill most of the time - nausea and diarrhea again, and the awful asthma is not letting up. Have been left a little off-key the last few days. During the days I have so much work to do - from studies to translations to overseeing the library renovation to giving conferences. It's going to be one long tiring summer.

Festival of Lights

The summer holidays have begun with the fantastic annual Festival of Lights. Following this is the Formula One race (goodness knows how the cars can race through the tiny streets of Jerusalem) and a host of many other events.

The crowds in and around the Old City are growing each night, coming to see the Lights. Here are some pics of the exhibits

Fountain of Light

Christian Quarter Street decked
with chandeliers

Crusader Cardo in lights

Crusader Cardo is electric

A giant music-box dancer

3 floating whales over Mamilla Mall

Damascus Gate "painted" with
japanese cherry blossoms

Summer holidays begin

The scorching heat is not letting up and israeli schools begin summer holidays today. That usually summer camp for most of those kids who can afford it. And for those who can't, the parents are in a quandery as they must work ... and leaving the kids at home is always a worry. I wish church  institutes can organise summer camps or at least day camps which are more affordable for the poor; after all it's the economically poor parents who have to work 2 or 3 jobs a week rthat need this child-caring service the most. A month's camp could be as high as US$1000 ... and this is way beyond the means of a poor family. This of course refers to the eastern side (arab) of the City.

At the bazaar: a stilt walker dressed
as an ostrich rider

On the western side (jewish), the municipality has already organised lots of activities. Yesterday was a bazaar at Safra Square; in the evening there was a concert with a talent quest for young footballers below 21. And starting tomorrow night, all through the week, is the annual Festival of Lights. This year it'll be more spectacular and vast in area - covering the 3 quarters of the Old City (the muslim quarter is left out).

My asthma which lightened up for a couple of weeks, is back with a vengeance. Suffocating most mornings, need 4-6 puffs of Flixotide and Ventolin mix. Makes me dizzy afterwards.

The situation in Syria is sending jitters in our country but it'll not dampen the summer holiday spirit. Anyway the sun is too hot to go out and fight. I foresee a quiet summer this year in the military front. Quiet .. except for the asthma wheezing. That is a major war in itself.

Earthquake

A 4.8 earthquake struck southern Israel earlier today. It's along the rift valley that the Jordan River is a part ... but it struck way down in the Red Sea city of Eilat. Perhaps this tectonic shift will move northwards and hit the Dead Sea/Jericho area soon ....

As expected, the vandal attack on Mt Zion yesterday is no longer covered by the newspapers and there are no police reports or municipality reassurances ... it's simply forgotten.

St Peter's under renovation

The weather is terribly hot ... 32 degrees today with no wind. But it's not stopping Mainland chinese groups from coming. They are so numerous now there's not enough chinese guides to bring them. One group from WenZhou came today without a guide. They got a chinese student from Rome to come and "explain" the places though she doesn't know the churches nor how to get there. Awful. Well they certainly won't see St Peter's church in Jaffa. It's closed due to major renovation works.