O, the best friend recently turned boyfriend (that's for another post), managed to get me out of the house this Saturday for a short easy hike, after we spent last weekend feeling like we slept it away. We live in a small city (pop. 33,000) in the middle of the desert. It's a fifteen minute drive through desert to the closest town (pop 10,000) and a half an hour drive (through desert) to the nearest developed city (pop 194,000). So the perks of such an isolated landscape is that taking a hike requires a three minute drive to the edge of the city and walking up to one of the trails that follows a (dry) riverbed. It was nice to get out into nature, even if all I wanted to do was to curl up in some soft grass (where?) under a tree with my new book. We saw a young Bedouin man herding his sheep and goats...the babies only a month old. He held one for me so I could pet him. And as we were climbing our way out of the riverbed we saw a group of young peeps hiking with guitars on their backs, we waved (from afar) and they yelled out to join them for coffee (black coffee over a tiny fire) and hookah, I agreed under the condition they play us some music. So they climbed up, and we climbed down, and there we sat with four young strangers, singing songs and drinking coffee. And I thought to myself... only in Israel. *On the left side of the photo: a little nook in the mountain and in it our new friends where we left them singing, drinking, and smoking.

color and perception

Numerous are the conversations (and the thoughts) I have had in which I've pondered color (yes, as in the rainbow). It usually goes something like: "What a beautiful tree (for example)!" "You know, we're both looking at this stunning tree, and we'd both say that the tree is brown with pink and white blossoms. But what if what I call pink and white is what you call purple and green? I may be looking at a tree with a yellow trunk, and purple and green blossoms! We might be seeing totally different colors, even if we've learned to call them the same thing!" Anyways, I came across this BBC article and felt like I was reading a script of one of my conversations...I couldn't help but share. Enjoy!

"Israel passes law banning use of underweight models"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17450275
Working with teenage girls and dealing with body image issues and borderline eating disorders, I think this is a blessing. But I can also understand models who are naturally slimmer (not anorexic) who can no longer model.
What do you think?

Sex in the media

Web-surfing, I finished reading an article about a 15 year old girl gang-raped by five young men.
Five minutes later I stumbled upon an article on Madonna's "Girl Gone Wild" video with a youtube link at the end, and I watched it. Aside from admiring the editing, some of the effects, and the very limited choreography...I kept wondering how the 15 year old from the previous article would feel watching a woman chained at her hands and feet being groped, kissed, licked...by five men.
I'm by no means conservative, but I couldn't shake the thought that the media (as a whole) just doesn't take responsibility for the messages they relay to their biggest audience (teenagers). Like in the previous post (about the impact of underweight and airbrushed models on body image), I wonder what message Madonna's video sends out to young girls watching her sing about being a bad girl as she "willingly" lets five different men simultaneously paw at her. I question the term willingly, because how willing is it when she's completely chained up?
What do you think?

After finding a 6 year old and a two year old within a week of each other, wandering the streets alone in the middle of winter, Im starting to wonder whar the universe is trying to tell me.

hoarders

I've indulged in a bit of U.S. television over the past month that I've been stateside. I've discovered new shows: Sextuplets take NY, Bridezillas and checked out ones I'd heard about: Jersey Shore and Hoarders. I made it through half an episode of Jersey Shore, which was more than enough; and indulged in about two episodes of each of the others.

Yesterday I discovered "Hoarders". I was shocked by the magnitude of what I saw, and was then appalled at the "Pier One" commercial urging viewers to splurge on home redecorations.
Ummm... hello?!? TLC? Anyone home? Are you trying to help hoarders or keep them hoarding so you don't run out of episodes to shoot?
WHY IN GOD'S name would you place this commercial during this shows air time?
It's like airing a 1990's Calvin Klein ad featuring an anorexic Kate Moss during a show on eating disorders.

what's the value in that bling?

disclaimer: if you've got a large engagement ring do not take this post personally. this is a criticism of our society and its values. not of the individuals who live in it.

I made it back to the states for my yearly visit just in time for my 10 year high school reunion. I have one remaining friend from high school. The rest are facebook friends I haven't seen in years. But I went, hoping to catch a few long-lost friends I hadn't seen since graduation.

Greeting old friends and acquaintances I was struck by the size of their engagement rings. By struck I do not imply that my eyes popped out in jealousy. I assure you, they did not. I was struck because I've been living in a country where engagement rings symbolize engagement; and they are beautiful, classy, and modest. And where I wouldn't even notice it if I hadn't happened to look upon ones hand.

Yet these rings looked over-sized, loud, and even uncomfortable to wear.

Perhaps I wasn't bothered so much by the size of the rings, as I was by what I think they symbolize. Why would anyone choose to spend an exorbitant amount on such a bulky ring, if not for what it stands for? And what does it stand for? Is it a sign of a man's love or commitment for the one he loves? Or does it stand to show a couples' value and worth?

Am I getting carried away? Perhaps. But I can not shrug the feeling that U.S. culture places great emphasis on material life rather than spiritual life; on what we have, rather than on who we are. In high school people valued one another by designer labels, today they seem to value one another by the number of karats.
If I am to be judged, I should hope it be on who I am, not on what I have.

"vote with your dollars"

thought this worthy of posting...
to whom do the companies you buy from give their (financial) support?
if you move your mouse over the company you can see the stats...

Democratic

Republican

GoodGuide.com political contribution data for over 100 companies

View data for other companies at GoodGuide.com

food for thought

The richest 20% of the worlds population earns 82% of the worlds income.
The poorest 20% of the worlds population holds 2% of the wealth.

That means the other 60% account for 16% of the worlds wealth.

80% of the worlds population lives on $2 a day

part of history

As part of my masters in social work degree (in Israel) I am required to take a course called "Globalization, Neo-Liberalism, and the Welfare State".  It has fascinated me all year to study and discuss these issues and the anti-corporate globalization movement.  Less because the topic interests me, and more because I find myself studying the very movement at the very years in which I was an undergraduate student taking part of it all (2000-2004).
Sitting in a "globalization" course today and studying the beginning of the movement I marvel at the fact that I am part of the course material I am today sitting and reading.  A decade ago I didn't imagine that the issues we discussed, debated, looked into, decided upon - that the technical details we figured out - how to cross the border into Quebec, how to get college funding for flights to Miami (FTAA 2003), how to build an affinity group, how to find information on the web regarding transportation to D.C., housing during protests, meeting locations, times, etc. would all become part of course material I would be studying a mere decade later.
As I sit now preparing for the take home final, and I read, for the first time, the first article assigned, I find myself reading some of the very points I made as I stood and spoke in class several months ago relaying our ideology, experiences, stories and sharing this picture.

i took this photograph and developed it myself.  this is a picture of the photo.  the blurriness at the top is not a technical error but rather the clouds of teargas that filled the sky.