Death Announcement

When someone dies in Israel, the common practice is to announce the death by placing posters like the one below on buildings where the deceased lived and worked. Usually, the person's name, funeral details and place of mourning are included in such notices.

Lavender in Bloom

No Photos, Please

One of the many street musicians in Jerusalem.

Shabbat Shalom

Happy Father's Day 2009

In About Four Months . . .

. . . these bb-sized grapes will be off to market as a plump cluster of grapes.

Shabbat Shalom

Free D. A. Carson Books

You can find 7 free D. A. Carson books here. They are downloadable PDF versions.

End of the Line

I Saw Another Fox

Recently, I jumped this fox who had been resting in the shade of a vineyard near Bethlehem. This is my third fox sighting (with camera in hand), and every time they have stopped momentarily to look back at me.

Fungi in Jerusalem Market

If You Want Mushrooms . . .

... here's the place to get them. Seemingly any type.

Sour Cherries

One for the Kid

When I was about 10 years old, there was a CB radio craze sweeping America. Seemingly everybody had a radio; and having a radio meant having a handle - the equivalent of a username in the internet age.

My handle was The Watermelon Kid, which is kinda strange since I didn't - and still don't - like watermelon. Anyway, here is a photo of some melons in the Jerusalem market; they are seedless and about $0.50 per pound.

Shabbat Shalom

Off to Market: Summer Watermelons

A Matter of Survival?

Dr. Wendy Chavkin offers her memories of Dr. Tiller in a New York Daily News opinion piece. Clearly, she is trying to paint her colleague, the good doctor who claimed to have performed some 60,000 abortions, as a saint. However, in her efforts to canonize the good qualities of Dr. Tiller, she actually gives us an insider's view of the motivation of one of the leaders in the industry.

Here's one interesting quote:

He resolved to care for the patients who turned to him for help, just as his father had. And as he did, George learned firsthand of the urgency and complexity of his patients' predicaments, which fueled his determination to keep going. He said, "The women in my father's practice for whom he did abortions educated me and taught me that abortion is about women's hopes, dreams, potential, the rest of their lives. Abortion is a matter of survival (emphasis added)."

There it is in Dr. Tiller's words: ". . . abortion is about women's hopes, dreams, potential, the rest of their lives." After all, an unwanted pregnancy might change a woman's hopes, dreams and potential. In fact, it might change the rest of their lives. You think so? However, none of those things are really about survival; they are about S. E. L. F.

And the above quote puts the lie to the Pro-Choice mantra regarding women's health. It's overwhelmingly NOT about women's health; it's about S. E. L. F.

"That's just one doctor's opinion," you say. According to a 2006 New England Journal of Medicine article that is very sympathetic toward abortion and abortion providers, "nationwide [in the USA] about 1 in 14 abortions is sought for health reasons." That's 7.142%! And that percentage is divided between the mother's and the child's health concerns, which includes birth defects like Spina Bifida, Down's Syndrome, malformed limbs, etc. All of these are overwhelming challenges, no doubt, but I personally know wonderful people who live with those challenges and have productive lives.

If the NEJM statistics hold true in Dr. Tiller's case, then he killed 55,715 babies because they might affect "women's hopes, dreams, potential, the rest of their lives."

Why isn't this same logic extended to include thieves or drunk drivers or child molestors? They all affect men's and "women's hopes, dreams, potential, the rest of their lives."

Folks, it's not about women's health, it's about S. E. L. F. Why can't we admit that? The answer is simple: because we don't want to admit the level of brutality our selfishness can produce. It's easier to face the barbaric nature of abortion if we convince ourselves it's about health.

Eggplant

Some eggplants are in the market now, but they don't look very good. I think I'll wait to buy some of those.

Cantaloupes

Cantaloupes are in the market now, and they range in price from $0.70-$0.90 per pound, which, I think is pretty good.

While these clearly aren't Pecos cantaloupes - which are in very short supply this year, I'm told they are very good. Since I don't like melon - of any kind - I can't verify those reports.

The Israeli cantaloupes are more oval than the American melons I'm more familiar with. I also noticed that they are alternatively called pineapple melons or orange pineapples on the price signs, which sounds funny to me. I don't understand the pineapple connection.

Sweet Cherries

Sweet cherries are starting to appear in the Jerusalem market.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

Sometimes, you just need to . . . well, have a DP and pizza. There are a few stores here that import Dr Pepper - sometimes from Dublin, Texas. The pizza is local, but with a slight modification by us.

Shabbat Shalom

The Joy of Laughter, Tickles and Giggles

Among the many blessings in my life is my daughter, my treasure, my Grace. She is a source of joy in so many ways, and one of those is our tickle time.

She is five years old and wears size 5T. Now you might think that 5T stands for 5 Toddler, but you would be wrong. 5T stands for 5 Tickle; and each morning Grace looks hopefully at the tags on her clothes to see if they are 5T so she can prepare herself for the requisite tickle fest. If I'm not paying close enough attention, she will say, "Abba, it's fiiiiiive Teeeeee." That's code for, "Please come tickle me."

The joy of tickles. The joy of simplicity: no toys required. Just a finger or feather or string appropriately placed brings a burst of laughter.

I'm sad that 5T isn't followed by 6T.

Who Wouldn't Want to Blow This Into the Air?

It's the size of a softball!

It's Not Very Common . . .

. . . to see a Haredi woman smoking, particularly in public.

Controversial Thoughts

I'm trying to work through the whole Dr. Tiller assassination. My thoughts are all over the place.

However, I can say this: I hope all the discussion regarding Dr. Tiller's death will bring more to the forefront the horror that is nicely packaged as "a woman's choice." In other words, the 1,000,000s of deaths performed by the hands of Dr. Tiller and those like him should not be forgotten simply because he was gunned down.

I fear that many in the "pro-life" camp don't take very seriously the horror that is abortion. I'm certain that those in the "pro-choice" camp don't take seriously the brutal deaths of the not-yet born.