tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72817418997109651892024-03-06T00:20:15.973+02:00Reality and FictionMy thoughts about life as I see it, and the books that I read.Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.comBlogger311125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-48399589552545596782020-08-25T14:39:00.003+03:002020-08-25T14:41:05.570+03:00How to use happy memories<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4WRFspamtOaPO8y3_RhHEIPO2n2p0bszwOpgOTrVJYHlu2ojvPsk9bcuXp8ga5KVvp8LAaqNyI_VGG5cpsG2ktw9xb9LyFFEXVPUbaqgHcBnZ3hsi43SO73xCiYTnEBRhl2SMTAu8D4A/s626/office-manager-dreaming-about-vacation-sea_74855-6595.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="626" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4WRFspamtOaPO8y3_RhHEIPO2n2p0bszwOpgOTrVJYHlu2ojvPsk9bcuXp8ga5KVvp8LAaqNyI_VGG5cpsG2ktw9xb9LyFFEXVPUbaqgHcBnZ3hsi43SO73xCiYTnEBRhl2SMTAu8D4A/w401-h250/office-manager-dreaming-about-vacation-sea_74855-6595.jpg" width="401" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The pandemic has been around for over six months now. I have had many things to say about it, but so much was already being said that I didn't feel my contribution would make much of a difference. Readers of this blog and those who know me personally won't be surprised by the positions I wanted to express: support for responsible and cautious behaviour; support for science; opposition to conspiracy theories; and total disgust at the politicization of public health provisions.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have written before: we are not "all in this together". People are experiencing this pandemic in different ways, depending on their circumstances and location. What I want to write about today can apply to most people, and not only during the pandemic.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the past few months, and probably for a long time into the future, we have had restrictions on what we can do, including lockdowns, travel bans, and the closure of many public and cultural places. There have been restrictions on who we can meet. For many, these limitations have been a source of great frustration, loneliness, and even depression. This is quite apart from the impact of job losses and businesses closing down.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">My suggestions are relevant to everyone, but in particular to those who currently feel that it's "not fair" that they can't do the things they planned or wanted to do due to restrictions. Many people have been unable to travel for their annual overseas vacation, haven't been able to attend concerts and other cultural events, and have postponed weddings and other large parties. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">What I want to say in such cases is: instead of focusing on what you can't do at the moment, use your happy memories of past experiences to bring you some joy and satisfaction. We are the sum of our life experiences, and every past happy event is still part of us. <span face="" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The feeling of being denied something you thought you were entitled to experience can be replaced by gratitude for the wonderful experiences you've already had.</span></span></div><div><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">For those who can't travel, try reliving past adventures. Close your eyes and remember the trip. Use sensory memories: the sights, sounds, feelings, tastes, and smells of the places you visited and things you did there. I can remember vividly drinking tea at Petra while gazing at the incredible rock carvings. The sound of the tourists around me and the bells on the donkeys and camels. The feeling of the heat and dryness. The taste and smell of the tea. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The imagination is very powerful, and we can make the most of it at times when we are restricted in what we can do physically. To add to this experience of reliving memories, we can look at photos or videos, listen to music, eat foods and smell scents that remind us of these past experiences, and look at souvenirs we brought home. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">We also live at a time where technology can help in so many ways. If you missed a rock concert that was postponed or cancelled, you can probably find a similar concert online to watch. Just pretend you're in the audience and let your imagination make the experience real for you.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, we have all been learning how to stay in touch online with loved ones we can't meet in person. This can be enhanced by talking about shared happy experiences from the past. Reminiscing can strengthen relationships and replace the anxiety of discussing the present and future.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">As we learn to appreciate and enjoy our memories, we can be more patient about the current situation and more accepting of the need to find resilience inside ourselves during this challenging time.</span></div>Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-5177956691593205852020-04-12T10:59:00.000+03:002020-04-12T12:20:45.888+03:00Empathy during a pandemicThe truth is that we are not actually "all in this together". People have the illusion that everyone is in a similar situation at the moment. In fact, we are all having different experiences of the pandemic, the lockdown, and the way we are spending our time.<br />
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In order to have real empathy, you have to understand and appreciate the differences between people and their circumstances. I think that extreme situations like this one bring out people's true personalities. Some people are expressing themselves in entitled, judgmental, and misguided or "tone deaf" ways, which shows that they don't have empathy for other people's situations. Here is how these people can learn empathy and change their attitude.<br />
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The first group that has been guilty of this sort of lack of empathy includes many wealthy and famous people who have been trying to portray themselves as having the same sort of experiences as the rest of us. They might feel as though they are just ordinary people, but their wealth gives them privileges the majority of the population doesn't share. First and foremost, wealth gives people a sense of security. They are not going to starve or end up homeless or in debt. These are very real concerns for many less privileged people, even some who until recently considered themselves middle-class professionals. Just knowing that you have enough money to last you several years (or decades) even if you never work again is something that the wealthy might not realize they take for granted.<br />
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Famous people have been trying to keep the focus on themselves in a very narcissistic way. At times like these, they don't realize that flaunting their luxury homes and exotic lifestyles is certain to alienate many people. Yes, they might be in lockdown like the rest of us, but in much more comfortable circumstances. This is not about you.<br />
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What the wealthy can do at this time is donate significant amounts of money to good causes. Vaccine research, hospital funds, any sort of charity. Those who are really empathic will do this quietly, behind the scenes, because it's not about them but about the cause they support. Do it for its own sake, not to promote yourselves!<br />
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The wealthy also have the power and influence to work behind the scenes in companies they are involved with to help employees get paid while in lockdown, prevent job losses, and apply generous procedures to staff members who are sick or have sick family members. Caring for the less fortunate is a sign of empathy.<br />
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A second example of lack of empathy is a message that has been circulating<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> on social media</span> and has prompted a lot of discussion. I have seen this message, with its reply, but don't know who originated it:<br />
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* Edited to add: <a href="https://www.upworthy.com/coronavirus-productivity-motivation-myths-dangers?fbclid=IwAR2sFDYTFXT8zdpMJ7-a36QElpxgptWTyxuV4BvVd2P0abp71kNHk1VhbS4" target="_blank">Here</a> is an article that brings a source for the original quotation, Jeremy Haynes, and in this photo, the response below the deleted line was written by my sister-in-law, Jill Pretorius. I have seen a few different versions with similar sentiments.<br />
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The statement "You didn't ever lack the time, you lacked the discipline" is the sort of tough-love motivational nonsense that demonstrates a lack of empathy and sensitivity and judges other people.<br />
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The response, that we are going through difficult times and it's not a competition, starts to answer the judgment, but doesn't express the response as clearly as I want to do now.<br />
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The original post's assumption is that we are in quarantine and therefore now have time to do the things we used to say we didn't have time to do.<br />
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First, not everyone is in lockdown and not everyone who is has time.<br />
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There are essential workers who are spending just as much time, if not more, working. They don't have the benefit of this extra time we are all assumed to have.<br />
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There are people who are now working from home. While this might save them some commuting time, using the unfamiliar and inefficient online platforms might end up taking just as much time and might be just as exhausting.<br />
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There are people who have lost their jobs or their freelance income. So yes, maybe they have more time, but they are likely to be looking for ways to earn some money just to survive, rather than spending time on personal development.<br />
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Many people have their children at home with them. It would be nice to imagine that the children spend their usual school hours studying online, but in reality, online learning is not equivalent to being at school and parents have to educate and entertain their children most of the time. This doesn't give them extra time.<br />
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The next assumption is that with "discipline" you can achieve what you want in any circumstances. The reality is that for most people, this is not just some free time they can use. Most people are, justifiably, worried about getting sick, about their loved ones getting sick, about being isolated from family and friends, about possibly losing their jobs or income, about the cancellation of important events they had planned, and in some cases they are experiencing strained relations with their family members or roommates as a result of the lockdown.<br />
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Discipline alone doesn't enable people to develop the right state of mind to study or set up a business. It's something we can strive for, but not something we must do in order to prove ourselves worthy. Yes, personal growth and development is an ideal, but it should never be something we force ourselves to do if it makes us feel worse as a result. There is no obligation to become more "successful" as a result of this lockdown.<br />
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The most important thing we can do right now is follow instructions and reduce the risk of getting sick or infecting other people. We have to take care of ourselves and our families. This includes being empathic and understanding, rather than entitled and judgmental.<br />
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Some will be able to take advantage of the situation to develop new skills and work on creative projects. Good for them! But don't assume that those who don't do so "lack discipline". There are many reasons why this is not the ideal time for most people to live up to these high expectations.<br />
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If you find yourself wondering why someone does or doesn't do something, think about the whole range of circumstances of that person's life rather than just assuming it's "laziness".<br />
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I hope we can all learn to practice more empathy and compassion during this time.Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-89066848917100662772020-03-14T14:22:00.000+02:002020-03-14T14:22:39.630+02:00Being a good person during a pandemic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If the current covid-19 pandemic can teach us one thing, it's mutual co-responsibility. The human race must act together, consistently, to minimize the impact of this virus. This requires us to rethink and change some of our behaviours.<br />
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Instead of being individualists existing in competition with each other, we have to be cooperative, community-minded, and aware of the common good. Instead of letting our ego tell us we know what's best for us, we have to listen to experts and put aside our personal preferences for the sake of the good of everyone, particularly those more vulnerable than ourselves.<br />
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The pandemic will necessarily change everyone's lives, whether directly, by infecting them or people close to them, or indirectly, by changing their plans and routine. Most of us will feel the economic impact, and whole industries are already suffering.<br />
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Some objectively good results are already emerging. Less air travel and more working from home means less air pollution. Awareness of the importance of hand washing and considerate sneezing means improved public hygiene. I'm personally happy that I can now avoid shaking hands with strangers, which has sometimes left me feeling uncomfortable.<br />
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Many people have observed that self-isolation and working for home are ideal conditions for introverts, and many of us have already adopted this sort of lifestyle, to a certain extent. The social distancing that is essential now will be more difficult for extroverts and those people who see their role in life as depending on social interactions. I have been thinking of ways for everyone to take this opportunity of changing lifestyles to become better people in the ways most suited to their personality. I hope some of you find inspiration here.<br />
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First, it's important to follow the advice of experts. Think of these social distancing recommendations like traffic rules. We all have to follow the rules all the time, so that there's a consistent, predictable behaviour pattern. So work from home if you can, self-isolate if you might have been exposed, wash your hands, cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing, try not to touch your face (this is difficult for everyone), and accept that you can't travel or attend large events for the next while.<br />
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There's an element of self-sacrifice in being a good person. This is displayed clearly by accepting the unwelcome changes we have to make for the good of the whole community or even the whole species.<br />
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Next, we can find ways to do good that don't involve social interaction. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The best thing you can do for other people now is, paradoxically, to avoid direct in-person contact and find alternative ways of staying in touch and helping others. </span>We are fortunate to live in a time when we can easily interact with people at a distance. We can communicate by phone, video calls, email, text, and social media. Those of us who are working from home or self-isolating can take this opportunity to be in touch with people in different ways. You're not completely isolated if you can stay in touch with people around the world.<br />
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These technologies can be used for education. Here in Israel, the universities are moving to distance teaching. But people can also teach and study informally from home. If you have a subject you are able to teach, you might be able to find people online who would love to learn from you. And spending more time at home provides a chance to find online resources to learn new things and improve yourself. Educating and improving yourself is always a good thing, and it's never too late to study.<br />
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This can also be a time to find ways to help those less fortunate. If you know about people who have lost income as a result of the changes, perhaps you could help them in some way: order them some supplies to be delivered to their home or offer other services. If you know children whose schools have closed, perhaps you could babysit while their parents work (if no isolation is required), or provide education or entertainment remotely.<br />
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Being "stuck" at home is also a good time to clean and declutter your house. You can use this time to sort things into piles for recycling and donating or resale. You can also tackle small repairs that you have been postponing. Make your home a more comfortable place where you feel better spending more time.<br />
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Some people may find it a novel experience to be spending so much time at home with partners, family members, or roommates. Use this time to get to know each other better and find ways to live and work harmoniously. Be flexible and accepting of your differences.<br />
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The guiding principle at this time should be "what can I do to make the world better for all of us?".<br />
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Finally, we should all be grateful to members of the healthcare professions and other emergency staff for doing what is necessary for those people who do become infected, at risk to themselves. These people are already doing good in the world. Thank you all!Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-41432439958598292672020-02-28T14:30:00.000+02:002020-02-28T14:30:10.174+02:00ITA Conference 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week I attended the annual conference of the <a href="https://ita.org.il/?lang=en" target="_blank">Israel Translators Association</a>, held at <a href="https://zoatlv.co.il/en/about/" target="_blank">ZOA House </a>in Tel Aviv.<br />
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Day 1: 24 February 2020<br />
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The conference opened with a plenary lecture by author and translator <a href="https://www.assafgavron.com/" target="_blank">Assaf Gavron</a>. Five of his Hebrew books have been translated into 16 languages, and he has translated 22 books from English into Hebrew. He gave us a few examples of the challenges of literary translation and issues in conveying different cultural issues. He akso noted that Hebrew is one of the only languages where books that were translated into Hebrew a few decades ago receive new translations due to the rapid changes in the language.<br />
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Next, there was a discussion group hosted by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-mitler-88873043" target="_blank">Louis Mitler</a>, where the participants were asked to raise various challenges and solutions in the freelance translation field. The issues ranged from the changing role of the translator in an era of machine translation to accreditation, professional liability insurance, relations with agencies, and membership of translators' organizations like the ITA. It showed that translators face different challenges depending on the stage of their career, their language pairs, and their specialization.<br />
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After lunch, <a href="https://www.aclang.com/our-team/" target="_blank">Avi Staiman</a> of Academic Language Experts discussed the challenges faced by non-native speakers of English in publishing academic research. He conducted a survey to examine the specific needs of academics, which included the need for greater funding of translation and editing work and the obstacle of journals and publishers assuming that articles by non-native speakers need editing. This lecture was particularly relevant to my specialization.<br />
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Next, <a href="https://yaeltranslation.com/about-en/" target="_blank">Yael Cahane-Shadmi</a> spoke about the sensitive issue of <a href="https://yaeltranslation.com/2020/02/26/ערכים-מתנגשים/" target="_blank">conflicting values</a>, when translators find various ethical objections to working on a particular text. Of course, translators can refuse work if they find it conflicts with their personal values, but if they accept it, they must be professional about it and do their best to translate it without letting their different perspective influence the result.<br />
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After this lecture, it was my turn to speak. My lecture was about the process of publishing an academic book. It followed a psychology book I translated from the stage of searching for a publisher, through all the additional documents necessary for the query and submission process, the translation itself, proofreading and creating the index, to the publication of the translated book. Many translators are not fully aware of these stages if they only do the translation itself.<br />
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Then, <a href="https://il.linkedin.com/in/liath-noy-53b533" target="_blank">Liath Noy</a> discussed the state of translation studies in Israel. She distinguished between studies focused on translation theory and those aimed to prepare translators for an active career. She suggested that translation studies should be more practical and more interdisciplinary, touching upon language skills, cultural differences, data mining, translation software and tools, general and specific knowledge, and business skills.<br />
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Day 2: 25 February 2020<br />
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The day started with a session by <a href="https://www.aclang.com/our-team/" target="_blank">Liron Kranzler-Feldman</a> of Academic Language Experts discussing translator-client relationships from the viewpoint of non-violent communication (NVC). We did an exercise in pairs where we shared a difficult situation with a client and went through the basic steps of observing, identifying feelings, identifying needs, and making a request for action (of the client or of ourselves). This was a useful session for many participants, and I think it's important for all professionals to think about how they communicate and how to resolve any issues without conflict.<br />
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Next, <a href="http://www.japan-israel-consulting.com/en/profile/japan-israel-management/" target="_blank">Yifat Vered</a> spoke about working with Japanese companies, from her experience of living in Japan for ten years and then helping Israeli companies do business with Japanese companies. She explained the cultural and communication differences between Israel and Japan, and the complexities resulting from the Japanese language and its three alphabets.<br />
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<a href="http://www.gaguzia-translations.com/" target="_blank">Stephen Rifkind</a> considered the customer's perspective when seeking a professional, such as a translator, in order to help us professional understand what customers are looking for. This included aspects such as pricing, website, proof of skill, and flexibility.<br />
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Then, <a href="http://www.transl8.co.il/wp/yael-segal-legal-translation-by-an-attorney/" target="_blank">Yael Segal</a> gave a complementary lecture about how to reach new customers. She mentioned creating differentiation by having a narrow specialization, finding the sort of marketing that works best, and connecting to other professionals who work with the sort of clients you want.<br />
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After lunch, Dolly Baruch spoke about the translation of songs from Arabic to Hebrew. In some cases, only the tune was kept and completely new lyrics were composed. In other cases, the translation tried to be more faithful to the original. It seems that in translating songs, there has to be some compromise between various elements.<br />
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Next, Charlotte Gremmen discussed aspects of intersemiotic translation in a Hebrew graphic novel version of The Diary of Anne Frank. In addition to the linguistic translation, this version used visual elements beyond the text in order to convey the story.<br />
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Shirley Finzi Loew talked about her translation of an Italian novel that contained Sicilian dialect, and how to represent local dialects in the target language. The options are to leave out this aspect, to add notes explaining it, to use a different register, or to use dialects of the target language. The choice is on a spectrum between an acceptable translation for the target audience and an adequate translation of the source language and culture. In this case, she preferred to reflect the literary style over linguistic accuracy, and used mainly lexical means.<br />
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The conference was well-organized and enjoyable. I was happy to give a lecture 12 years after my first lecture at an ITA conference. I look forward to next year's conference.Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-83415496601266456252019-11-23T11:36:00.001+02:002019-11-23T11:36:40.555+02:00Mikis Theodorakis Orchestra concertOn November 17th, I accompanied my father to a concert of the music of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikis_Theodorakis" target="_blank">Mikis Theodorakis</a>, performed by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mikistheodorakisorchestra/" target="_blank">Mikis Theodorakis Orchestra</a>, with the singers <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitris_Basis" target="_blank">Dimitris Basis</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Farantouri" target="_blank">Maria Farandouri</a>, at the Tel Aviv Opera House. The Opera House had great acoustics, and the seating arrangements for wheelchair users were good.<br />
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Mikis Theodorakis is one of the greatest composers of Greek music. I grew up listening to some of his albums, both while we still lived in England and after we came to Israel. This was just part of growing up in a philhellenic family. I remember as a young girl asking to listen to "the statue record". Yes, these were vinyl LPs, played on a record player. I knew some Greek music long before I ever visited Greece.<br />
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The Mikis Theodorakis Orchestra includes ten musicians on various instruments. It is managed by Margarita Theodorakis, daughter of the composer. The singers Dimitris Basis and Maria Farandouri were excellent.<br />
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The concert was arranged by journalist and radio presenter Yaron Enosh, who came onto stage now and then to tell us a bit about the fascinating life story of Theodorakis and to translate or explain some of the lyrics. Of course, one concert cannot encompass all of the work of a prolific composer like Theodorakis. It could only present a selection.<br />
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The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauthausen_Trilogy" target="_blank">Mauthausen Trilogy</a> was performed in full. This work is well-known here because of its Holocaust subject matter, and it received a standing ovation.<br />
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I personally don't like the habit of the audience's rhythmic clapping during performances, and my non-conformist self refused to participate, even when the clapping was encouraged, especially by Dimitris Basis. But this also highlighted the incongruity of having popular music performed in the formal setting of an Opera House. Had the performance been held in a different setting, the clapping might have felt more appropriate.<br />
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I wasn't familiar with all the songs performed, but enjoyed them nonetheless. I also felt frustrated that I was only able to identify a few words or phrases here and there. This concert has reignited my dream of learning Greek, and I hope to do so soon. Presumably most members of the audience knew even less Greek than I did.<br />
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The concert ended, predictably, with the song Zorba the Greek. This is such a well-known song that has come to represent Greek music, and it tends to be performed too frequently. It was good to hear it performed as intended by such accomplished musicians.<br />
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We were told that photography and audio or video recording were prohibited during the concert, so I only took a photo of the performers bowing at the end of the concert.<br />
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I enjoyed this concert, which was both nostalgic, reminding me of my childhood exposure to this composer, and just good music by any measure.Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-48143562065554063272019-10-17T14:21:00.000+03:002019-10-17T14:41:53.345+03:00TIME Magazine's Special Climate Issue 23 September 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't usually read magazines. But when I saw TIME Magazine's <a href="https://time.com/climate-change-solutions/" target="_blank">Special Climate Issue</a> in the airport shop when I was returning from Cyprus last month, I felt I had to read it. I spent the wait in the airport and the flight home reading it. It wasn't a light read. The environment and the impact human beings have on it is an issue I've taken very seriously since I was a teenager. The irony of reading a paper magazine on a plane wasn't wasted on me, either!<br />
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The magazine addressed many aspects of the climate crisis and many parts of the world. It also featured biographies of 15 women who are changing the world. I want to share a few of the important messages that spoke to me.<br />
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In "From the Editor", Edward Felsenthal wrote the following:<br />
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Notably, what you will not find in this issue are climate-change skeptics. Core to our mission is bringing together diverse perspectives. Experts can and should debate the best route to mitigating the effects of climate change, but there is no serious doubt that those effects are real. We are witnessing them right in front of us. The science on global warming is settled. There isn't another side, and there isn't another moment. (p. 4).</blockquote>
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I was very pleased to read this evidence that journalism is moving away from the misleading idea of "balance", as though all opinions are equally valid and worthy of representation. There is actually such a thing as truth and reality, and those who choose to deny it for reasons of ideology, religion, or financial gain don't deserve to have equal representation in the public sphere.<br />
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In an article entitled "Why I have hope for the climate-change battles to come", Al Gore concluded by noting the grass-roots activism, often involving teenagers and young adults:<br />
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Saving the future of humanity is a heavy burden for teenagers and 20-somethings to bear. But they are embracing the challenge as if their lives depend on it. The rest of us must follow their lead and act before it's too late. (p. 23).</blockquote>
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I have been impressed by the increase in young activism, though I believe that there have always been young, idealistic people involved in environment-related issues. Some people have grown up from teenagers to middle-aged or elderly within the green movement. The reason young people are so active now is that the point of no return is rapidly approaching and they will live with the consequences for longer than the older generations.<br />
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Aryn Baker visited Jacobabad, Pakistan, in a piece entitled "The hottest city on earth", and noted:<br />
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If the planet continues warming at an accelerated rate, it won't be just the people of Jacobabad who live through 50 ͒ C summers. Everyone will. (p. 26)</blockquote>
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As a person who dislikes heat, I find this particularly alarming!<br />
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Jane Goodall wrote an insightful essay, "The devastation of climate change is real. But there are reasons to be hopeful". She lists four problems and then four solutions.<br />
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In order to slow down climate change, we must solve four seemingly unsolvable problems. We must eliminate poverty. We must change the unsustainable lifestyles of so many of us. We must abolish corruption. And we must think about our growing human population. There are 7.7 billion of us today, and by 2050, the UN predicts there will be 9.7 billion. But I believe we have a window of time to have an impact. (p. 46).</blockquote>
She then lists her four solutions: The resilience of nature; The human brain; Social Media; and the power of young people.<br />
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I found it interesting that this was one of the few mentions of the growing human population in the entire magazine. And I wasn't surprised that it came from a conservationist who's highly aware of the impact of habitat loss on all the non-human species of the planet. I think this issue should be taken more seriously by anyone concerned with our future survival.<br />
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Michael E. Mann wrote about the balance between individual efforts and the responsibility of corporations and governments in a piece with the pithy title "Paper straws alone won't save the planet".<br />
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There is a long history of industry-funded "deflections campaigns" aimed to divert attention from big polluters and place the burden on individuals. Individual action is important and something we should all champion. But appearing to force Americans to give up meat, or travel, or other things central to the lifestyle they've chosen to live is politically dangerous: it plays right into the hands of climate-change deniers whose strategy tends to be to portray climate champions as freedom-hating totalitarians. [...] We need systemic changes that will reduce everyone's carbon footprint, whether or not they care. (p. 52)</blockquote>
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I have taken various actions throughout my life, and especially recently, to reduce my impact on the environment. However, I am acutely aware that individual actions are not enough, and that the greed of corporations and the reluctance of governments to intervene in ways that might reduce established industries' profits has a greater negative impact than can be balanced by individuals refusing plastic bags, plastic straws, and single-use bottles (or other such steps). Since corporations are motivated by short-term greed and not a long-term vision of the planet's future, the only way to change things on a large scale is for governments and international bodies to regulate their behaviour.<br />
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Angelina Jolie explored the issue of population displacement in "No person is an island". Once again, the relocation of populations from devastated countreis to safer places will need to be solved by governments through international cooperation. She ends her piece:<br />
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[...] standing on the sidelines of global efforts is not a morally neutral position: it will negatively affect the lives of millions of people. A nation of use only to itself is not a leading country. As Americans, we have rarely feared exercising our influence on global questions affecting the peace and security of the world as well as our own prosperity. A changing climate should be no different. In the past, America has been a country defined by vision. That still must be our greatest asset. (p. 91)</blockquote>
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I wish I could be optimistic about the chances of this happening!<br />
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The issue ends with "A 30-year to-do list" (p. 103), which includes the following 6 goals:<br />
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<li>Phase out natural gas and eliminate coal;</li>
<li>Grow renewables;</li>
<li>Chart a path on nuclear;</li>
<li>Remove carbon from the atmosphere;</li>
<li>Change our agriculture and support trees;</li>
<li>Make our energy use more efficient.</li>
</ul>
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Then it explains "How we get there":</div>
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<li>Government commitments;</li>
<li>Corporate commitments;</li>
<li>Individual commitments;</li>
<li>Encourage innovation.</li>
</ul>
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Once again, I was disappointed not to see any mention of population reduction in this vision. Of course, this should be achieved through individual commitments, not through government intervention such as a one-child policy enforced by law. I just hope our society can become more accepting of the idea of people choosing not to have children, or to have just one child. We can no long afford to apply the biblical injunction "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth". Human beings have filled it to overflowing, at the expense of other species. Now it's time to think about the size of our population as a whole and the size of our families.</div>
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This was a thought-provoking magazine, and I would encourage everyone to seek out information and opinions about various environmental issues. This is something we <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">all </span>can and should address in various ways, before it's too late.</div>
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Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-30468708766411532472019-10-15T12:05:00.001+03:002019-10-15T12:06:31.018+03:00Cyprus, Part Five: Cats of CyprusCyprus likes to call itself "the Island of Love", claiming to be the birthplace of Aphrodite, goddess of love. But it could equally be called "the Island of Cats".<br />
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There are cats everywhere: in cities, <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">villages, and </span>archaeological sites. In fact, there are <a href="http://www.parikiaki.com/2019/04/more-cats-than-humans-in-cyprus-and-thats-why-luxury-resorts-in-cyprus-are-installing-cat-hotels/" target="_blank">more cats than humans</a> on the island: the human population is about 1.2 million, while the estimated number of cats is 1.5 million!<br />
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During our visit, we came across two interesting stories relating to cats in Cyprus. In <a href="http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/da/da.nsf/All/F326C998358D550BC225719900203AEA?OpenDocument" target="_blank">Limassol Archaeological Museum</a>, we saw a cast of the skeleton of one of the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2004/04/oldest-known-pet-cat-9500-year-old-burial-found-on-cyprus/" target="_blank">earliest domesticated cats</a>, which was buried with a human. The remains are dated to 9500-9000 B.C.E., which is about 5,000 years earlier than the well-known domestication of cats in Egypt. This discovery is relatively recent, and while it has been mentioned in some cat books I have read, such as<i> <a href="http://ruthludlam.blogspot.com/2017/01/abigail-tucker-lion-in-living-room.html" target="_blank">The Lion in the Living Room</a></i> by Abigail Tucker, this came as a surprise. I always look for cat-related items in museums, and most often find depictions of lions or Egyptian cat art. This time, one of the first items we saw was the cat skeleton with its explanation. This really made my day.<br />
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The other story was that cats were introduced to Cyprus by St. Helena in 328 C.E. to hunt the venomous snakes that were overpopulating as the result of a drought. There is a monastery called <a href="http://www.cyprusbeat.com/st-nicholas-cats-cyprus/" target="_blank">St. Nicholas of the Cats</a>, where the cats are considered the descendents of these cats. It's hard to believe that cats would be effective in eradicating the snake population, but they were probably beneficial in hunting various types of vermin.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">While tourists like me who love cats enjoy seeing, photographing, and sometimes touching cats while travelling, this situation is not actually in the cats' best interest. Like other Mediterranean locations, Cyprus is clearly experiencing cat overpopulation, and most of the cats end up suffering. I hope that there will be increasing awareness of the need to implement </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap–neuter–return" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">TNR</a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> and support managed community cat colonies.</span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-7813943996188254072019-09-29T13:21:00.002+03:002019-09-29T13:21:42.602+03:00Suede live in Rishon, 25 September 2019This week I attended a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suede_(band)" target="_blank">Suede</a> concert for the second time. This time, it was held at <a href="https://www.zappa-club.co.il/zappaclub/live-park/" target="_blank">Zappa Live Park</a> in Rishon Lezion, an open-air venue south of Tel Aviv. I previously saw their indoors concert in <a href="http://ruthludlam.blogspot.com/2015/07/suede-live-in-tel-aviv-30-july-2015.html" target="_blank">2015</a>, and there was a different atmosphere.<br />
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Since their previous appearance in Israel, Suede have released 2 albums and toured extensively. This concert was not a nostalgia show focusing on their classic hits of the 1990s, though many of them were played. This was a concert of a mature band, featuring a variety of pieces from throughout their career.<br />
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Lead singer Brett Anderson still maintains his impressive vocal range, exceptional energy, and strong crowd interaction. The combination of beautifully performed, much-loved music and Anderson's charisma made this an unforgettable experience. The other band members might receive less attention, but their masterful playing and intuitive coordination were no less important than the singer's centre-stage performance.<br />
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The concert was structured to start with some of the band's newer work, followed by some of the 1990s hits, and ending on some of the more recent songs. I found it sad that much of the audience seemed less familiar with the newer albums. As Anderson said: "We're only as good as our last album", and I think people who were Suede fans in the 1990s would appreciate their latest albums if they gave them a chance. For me, anything they chose to play would be welcome, though there were a couple of favourite songs I missed.<br />
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It's hard to express what music means to me. It's an all-encompassing experience of body and soul, and hearing music I love played live is a rare pleasure to be cherished. I hope to have the opportunity to see Suede play live again in the future, and look forward to their new music when they release their next album.<br />
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<br />Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-74701158369163477302019-09-24T15:20:00.000+03:002019-09-24T15:20:35.156+03:00Cyprus, Part Four: Troodos Mountain VillagesThe third <a href="https://ascotcyprus.com/mountain-villages/" target="_blank">tour</a> we took with <a href="http://ascotcyprus.com/" target="_blank">Ascot Travel</a> was to the villages of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troodos_Mountains" target="_blank">Troodos Mountains</a>. This was a welcome change from the rest of the holiday, which was spent in cities, archaeological sites, and museums. It was good to get out into nature. I particularly like mountains and forests, and the temperature there was pleasant, after we'd been suffering from the heat and humidity the rest of the holiday. Cyprus had above-average rainfall last winter, so the vegetation was lush and healthy.<br />
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The first village we visited was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agros,_Cyprus" target="_blank">Agros</a>, located about 1,000 metres above sea level. We had a tour of The Rose Factory, which produces a range of products using Damascus rose petals. They pick the roses in May, and it takes 400 flowers to produce 1 kg. of petals. The petals are then distilled, with each kilogram making 2 litres of rose water. Among their products: a range of organic rose cosmetics called <a href="http://www.venus-rose.com/" target="_blank">Venus Rose</a>, rose liqueur, rose tea, rose jam, rose candles, and even rose chocolates. Of course we bought gifts and souvenirs from their gift shop.<br />
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Next, we visited the nearby <a href="http://nikisweets.com.cy/" target="_blank">Nikis Sweets</a> factory, where traditional Cyprus Preserves are made. Various nuts, fruits, and vegetables are coated in sugar or carob syrup to create a wide range of natural sweets. We bought some of these products, too.</div>
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Our next stop was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Nicholas_of_the_Roof" target="_blank">St. Nicholas of the Roof</a> church. This is one of the famous <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/351/" target="_blank">painted Byzantine churches</a> of the region. Its name comes from the second, higher roof that was added above an existing roof, which helped preserve the 11th century wall paintings inside. Fortunately, this church was accessible by wheelchair, so my father was able to view the inside (photography was not allowed inside).</div>
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Our next stop was the beautiful village of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakopetria" target="_blank">Kakopetria</a>. We were given time to explore the village. This involved a steep downhill walk, so my parents were taken to the bottom of the village and waited for us there. We enjoyed seeing the old houses, which are still inhabited. At the bottom of the village there is a waterfall, and we ate lunch at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g190377-d7226970-Reviews-Zoumos_Restaurant-Kakopetria_Nicosia_District.html" target="_blank">Zoumos</a> restaurant overlooking the stream.</div>
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After lunch, our next stop was the <a href="https://www.cyprusalive.com/en/location/millomeris-waterfalls" target="_blank">Millomeris Waterfall</a>. Unfortunately, this place was not accessible by wheelchair, so my parents stayed on the minibus. A pleasant walk through the forest took us to an impressive waterfall. It was refreshing to watch the water for a while.</div>
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The final stop was <a href="http://www.lambouri.com/" target="_blank">Lambouri Winery</a>, where we had a wine tasting. Some of the wines were good, but we didn't buy any. I liked the lion statues that stood outside.</div>
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Overall, this was my favourite day of the trip. It combined beautiful nature, attractive villages, and glimpses into the local family-based industries. Of course, the lower temperatures in the mountains also made it more pleasant. I can see why the Troodos villages are always recommended to visitors to Cyprus.</div>
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Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-20073729113474032592019-09-22T15:02:00.002+03:002019-09-22T15:02:16.208+03:00Cyprus, Part Three: Nicosia (Lefkosia) and LarnacaThe next <a href="https://ascotcyprus.com/lefkosia-larnaka/" target="_blank">tour</a> we took with <a href="http://ascotcyprus.com/" target="_blank">Ascot Travel</a> was to Nicosia (Greek: Lefkosia) and Larnaca. This meant that we were able to visit the four main cities of Cyprus, with Limassol and Paphos. My parents joined us on this tour, and we were able to store the wheelchair in the boot (trunk) of the minibus.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicosia" target="_blank">Nicosia</a> is the capital of Cyprus, located inland rather than on the coast, and it has been divided since the Turkish invasion in 1974. The Cypriots kept stating that it's the only divided capital city in the world. This made us wonder about Jerusalem, until I realized that it's not that they don't think Jerusalem is divided, it's that they don't recognize it as a capital city!<br />
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Our first stop in Nicosia was the Archbishop's Palace and St. John's Cathedral. We didn't go inside either building. There were interesting statues outside: the ubiquitous Archbishop Makarios outside the palace, a statue that I assume represents the refugees who escaped from the north of Cyprus during the Turkish invasion, and a rather modern Jesus.<br />
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Then we walked through the streets of the Old City of Nicosia, which contained the same combination of charming, authentic old buildings and new touristy shops and cafes that can be found in many similar places around the mediterranean. Somehow we managed to get through the narrow streets with the wheelchair.<br />
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We had a limited amount of time before the minibus was due to continue, and we did not wish to cross over to the Turkish occupied part of the city as some of the other tour participants did. We left my parents at a cafe and ventured outside the walled part of the city to find the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus_Museum" target="_blank">Cyprus Museum</a>, the largest and oldest archaeological museum in Cyprus. We chose this in preference to the closer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leventis_Municipal_Museum_of_Nicosia" target="_blank">Leventis Municipal Museum</a>, and were not disappointed. We had to rush through quickly, but even this rapid visit gave us a good impression of the finds from all over Cyprus, from various periods.</div>
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Then we had to hurry back to the minibus, and the tour continued to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larnaca" target="_blank">Larnaca</a>, back on the south coast. Here we visited <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Saint_Lazarus,_Larnaca" target="_blank">St. Lazarus Church</a>, an impressive Byzantine church where second tomb and relics of St. Lazarus were found. There were wax votive offerings in the crypt. This church had wheelchair access.<br />
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We then had time to eat a pleasant lunch with a sea view at the Finikoudes Promenade before returning to Limassol. This was an interesting tour, though the weather was very hot and humid. </div>
<br />Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-70030904636357512702019-09-21T15:40:00.001+03:002019-09-21T15:40:41.900+03:00Cyprus, Part Two: Kourion and PaphosWe took three guided tours with <a href="http://ascotcyprus.com/" target="_blank">Ascot Travel</a>. My parents didn't come on the first tour, partly because of accessibility issues, partly because they had visited the main sites before. This tour took us west of Limassol to <a href="https://ascotcyprus.com/pafos-kourion/" target="_blank">Kourion and Paphos</a>, with a few other sites included.<br />
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The tour started with a visit to the archaeological site of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kourion" target="_blank">Kourion</a>. Interestingly, the site is accessed by roads passing through the British military bases. We saw the ancient theatre and some impressive mosaics. The site was almost empty of visitors, and there was a bit of sea breeze to cool down the hot temperatures.<br />
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Next, we visited Aphrodite's Birthplace (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra_tou_Romiou" target="_blank">Petra tou Romiou</a>), a rock out in the sea where Aphrodite supposedly emerged from the waves. This was quite a busy tourist stop, and I enjoyed a rose sorbet at the ice cream stand in the souvenir shop.<br />
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Our next stop was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geroskipou" target="_blank">Geroskipou</a> village, where we visited <a href="https://arsinoe-loukoumia.business.site/" target="_blank">Arsinoe</a> factory for Cyprus Delight (loukoumi). This was a small, family operation using an old recipe and we bought some souvenirs.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paphos_Archaeological_Park" target="_blank">Kato Paphos Archaeological</a> site is very large. First we visited St. Paul's Pillar, where St. Paul was supposedly tied up and lashed by the residents of Paphos when he preached Christianity. The pillar is surrounded by a few churches, only one of which is still standing.<br />
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After a break for lunch at the Marina, we explored the lower part of the archaeological park, where we saw some of the best-preserved mosaics from the Hellenistic-Roman period. The site contained a few routes that were accessible to wheelchairs, and also had informational plaques in braille. I found this a bit strange, because surely any blind or vision-impaired visitor would be accompanied by a sighted person who could describe the site or read the informational plaques. But perhaps this is appreciated by some visitors.<br />
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I feel really privileged to have seen these mosaics, and the rest of the places we visited. It was an enjoyable tour, though it was hot and humid most of the time.<br />
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<br />Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-22120365211169447012019-09-20T16:12:00.002+03:002019-09-20T16:12:32.522+03:00Cyprus, Part One: Limassol (Lemesos)We spent a week in Cyprus with my parents. This was our first visit, while my father had visited Cyprus several times in the 1990s, and my mother had been there twice before. I'm going to start with some general information and impressions, and then focus on Limassol, where we stayed. I will write about other locations we visited in later posts.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus" target="_blank">Cyprus</a> is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, and has been independent since 1960. The island has been divided since 1974, when the Turkish army invaded northern Cyprus. The history of population displacement and the unresolved status of the northern occupied area is constantly in the background of Cypriot consciousness, and reminded us in some ways of our own local conflict. Both seem difficult or impossible to resolve.<br />
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General information: Traffic drives on the left. Cyprus uses UK-style power sockets, so visitors may need adapters. The tap water is safe to drink, so you can refill water bottles instead of buying mineral water. Don't flush toilet paper, put it in the bins provided. Cyprus is considered a safe country with the lowest crime rate in Europe.<br />
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Weather: We visited in the second week of September and it was hotter than we expected, around 32-35C, or even more, and very humid. The exception to this was when we visited the Troodos mountains, where it was a much more comfortable 20-22C.<br />
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Food: The food is good and fresh, and the cuisine is similar to traditional Greek food, with some Turkish influences. Touristy places also serve standard international meals, such as pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. Vegetarians will find it easy, while vegans and the lactose intolerant may have to ask for salads or other dishes without the cheese, or similar adaptations.<br />
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Accessibility: My father uses a wheelchair, though he can walk a few steps with his walking stick when necessary. Some places we visited had wheelchair access, while in other places it was more difficult. Some pedestrian crossings had sloped curbs, but these were not always in good condition, and in other places he just had to stand up so we could get the wheelchair down onto the road and then back up the other side. Also, many waiters thought he would want to sit in his wheelchair and started removing a chair, when in fact he prefers to get out of the wheelchair and sit at a table in a normal chair. Perhaps people assume anyone in a wheelchair is paralyzed?<br />
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Accommodation: We stayed at the <a href="https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/gb/en/limassol/lmscy/hoteldetail" target="_blank">Limassol Crowne Plaza Hotel</a>, on the sea. This was a more luxurious hotel than we would normally prefer, and it was chosen because it got good reviews for wheelchair access, and because my mother wanted to swim in the sea. We were very satisfied with the hotel and its staff.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limassol" target="_blank">Limassol</a> (Lemesos in Greek) is the second largest city in Cyprus after the capital, Nicosia. It is quite centrally-located and convenient if you want to visit various parts of the island. It is currently experiencing unrestrained development, spreading out along the coastline. Although this was my first visit to the city, I thought to myself: "Oh, Limassol, what have they done to you?". It felt like a place I once knew was being ruined. Cyprus has a policy of encouraging foreign investment in real estate, and new housing, hotels, and offices are being built without much central planning, or so it seems. This felt unfortunate to me.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limassol_Castle" target="_blank">Limassol Castle</a> is a small castle near the old port. From the roof we had good views of the area, and inside there was a Medieval Museum, displaying items from all over the island, such as armour, weapons, icons, stonework, and even a Menorah, with insufficient explanation.<br />
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We visited the Old Port and the new, gentrified Marina. There are shops and restaurants in this area.</div>
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Another day, we visited <a href="http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/da/da.nsf/All/F326C998358D550BC225719900203AEA?OpenDocument" target="_blank">Limassol Archaeological Museum</a>. To its credit, this museum had ramps and a lift to allow wheelchair access. It also had air conditioning. The displays contained finds from Cyprus' history and prehistory, as well as an exhibit focusing on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amathus" target="_blank">Amathous</a>, a site we didn't manage to visit during our trip. We were particularly fascinated by evidence of cat domestication long before the familiar evidence from Egypt.</div>
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We missed the annual Limassol <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_Festival_of_Cyprus" target="_blank">Wine Festival</a> held in the Municipal Park, as it ended the day we arrived. We visited the park itself, and found it a peaceful green area to rest and enjoy the sea breeze.<br />
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Among the restaurants we visited in Limassol: <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g190382-d2109510-Reviews-Fat_Fish-Limassol_Limassol_District.html" target="_blank">Fat Fish</a>, <a href="https://www.noa.com.cy/" target="_blank">Noa</a>, <a href="https://www.neonphaliron.com/" target="_blank">Neon Phaliron</a>, and <a href="http://limassol.crowneplaza.com/la-brezza" target="_blank">La Brezza</a> (in the Crowne Plaza Hotel).</div>
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We enjoyed our stay in Limassol, despite the sense that it was losing its spirit to rapid over-development.</div>
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Descriptions of other parts of Cyprus will follow in the next few blog posts.Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-81303148883526394912019-09-07T11:38:00.000+03:002019-09-07T11:39:43.818+03:00Hannah Shaw, Tiny but MightyHannah Shaw,<i> Tiny but Mighty: Kitten Lady's Guide to Saving the Most Vulnerable Felines</i>, Flume, 2019.<br />
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This book is both an enjoyable read for cat-lovers and a practical resource for cat-rescuers. The author, Hannah Shaw, has established herself as Kitten Lady on social media and in her educational work. Her popular videos show both the reality of rescue work and the entertaining side of life with kittens.<br />
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The book can be read from cover to cover, as I did. I recommend doing this when you first get the book. But it can also be dipped into later for information when required, and the charming stories of individual kittens can be read without context.<br />
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The chapters focus on various aspects of kitten rescue, its importance, its practical aspects from trapping to adoption, kitten development and health, and, importantly, caring for the rescuer to prevent compassion fatigue.<br />
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I can only disagree with the author on one point. She repeats the often quoted idea that feral kittens can't be socialized after they reach 12 weeks old. However, viewers of the TinyKittens webcam in Canada have witnessed the socialization of many older feral kittens and adult feral cats. It can be done, depending on the cat's personality and experience with humans, and the provision of the right sort of interactions.<br />
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The book is also full of delightful kitten photographs taken by the author and her photographer partner, Andrew Marttila. This is why I bought the physical book rather than an ebook.<br />
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Hannah's voice shines throughout the writing, with compassion, humour, and advice based on experience. While the book teaches, it never feels dry or didactic, and it provides inspiration for cat people to become involved in rescue in whatever way is most appropriate for them. As she says:<br />
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This book is an invitation for readers to join me on this journey and to add their own pieces to the puzzle... My hope is that you will see yourself in these pages, and feel supported in your own rescue journey... Movements are made up of individuals, and our small individual actions have the power to change everything (pp. 6-7).</blockquote>
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I highly recommend this book to anyone actively involved in rescue, to anyone who loves cats and kittens, and to those wishing to see what compassion and positive action looks like.<br />
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https://amzn.to/34x9ZTRRuth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-17440999310884982302019-08-02T17:40:00.002+03:002019-08-02T17:40:41.822+03:00Turning 50<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is my 50th birthday. I remember writing a post ten years ago about <a href="http://ruthludlam.blogspot.com/2009/08/turning-40.html" target="_blank">turning 40</a>, so I thought I would write another one at this round birthday.<br />
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I have always been open about my age. It's a fact, and I see no point in trying to hide it or pretending to be a different age. I don't feel that I'm any particular age, and people who want to categorize me as belonging to a stereotypical age-group are not seeing me as I really am. Just as I think that individual differences between people can be greater than any distinction between genders, I also think that individual differences can be greater than any expectations for people of particular ages.<br />
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Our society often seems to value youth over age and experience, but we are all aging. Sometimes there seems to be an unspoken conflict between the energy of young people, who are experiencing things enthusiastically for the first time, and the wisdom of older people, who have seen it all and can draw on their depth of experience and insight. To be ageless, you have to maintain the excitement and playfulness of youth along with the accumulated understanding of the world and of yourself.<br />
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I can look back on the life I have created for myself, my journey so far, with satisfaction. I have chosen what seems to be best for me, and to the extent that I can control certain things in my life, my happiness has been increasing. While in the world around me, things beyond my control seem to be getting worse, all I can do as an individual is continue to do what I can to be a good person with a positive influence. I refuse to become cynical and disillusioned as I age. I remind myself not to think in absolutes and to see the wide range of opinions and personalities out there.<br />
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I hope that I'm not yet half way through my life. I have some grounds to expect this: I'm female, women in my family on both sides tend to have long lives, and I live in a country with a relatively high life expectancy. If my health remains good and I manage to avoid wars, accidents, natural disasters, and the inevitable consequences of climate change, I think I have a good chance of reaching 100 years old. This means that I will be able to continue my happy life and my positive contribution to society for a long time.<br />
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On this "landmark" birthday, I'm reminding myself of everything I will be able to do and experience in years to come: love, friendship, creativity, compassion, and adventure. Here's to the future!Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-71336111019779452172019-07-13T11:53:00.000+03:002019-07-13T11:53:43.171+03:00Lecture evening: In the Sea and In the AirThis week we attended the annual lecture event organized by our vet clinic, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/medivet.co.il/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARDGyxKyzXHXJdjhUVUQx5lmTks4BvwuBX0pzu6lNxztY-D70YPoZ6B2OjcyP57p4ilDtktX2avqA4Pe" target="_blank">Medivet</a>. Each year (more or less), they arrange a lecture event or film screening for their customers, focusing on animal and environment issues.<br />
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This year's event was entitled In the Sea and In the Air. There were about 80-100 people in the audience, including some children who asked good questions.<br />
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The first lecture was by underwater photographer <a href="https://www.instagram.com/alon_zehngut/" target="_blank">Alon Zehngut</a> of <a href="https://www.flyingcamel.co.il/" target="_blank">Flying Camel</a>. He described various diving trips around the world, the marine wildlife he has photographed, and a bit about the equipment required. He showed many photos of manta rays, sharks, whales, dolphins, and some fish. Alongside the sense of wonder any encounter with the vast diversity of life on this planet awakens, there was the inevitable discussion of the destruction human beings have been causing.<br />
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Sharks have been vilified as dangerous predators, even though most species never attack humans, and there are fewer people killed by sharks each year than those killed by other animals. On average about 5 people die in shark attacks each year. In contrast, humans kill about 100,000,000 sharks per year, which means about <a href="https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/how-many-sharks-do-humans-kill-hour/" target="_blank">1,000 sharks every hour</a>. Sharks are hunted for their fins in a despicable practice called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_finning" target="_blank">shark finning</a>. This is due to the consumption of shark fin soup, which has become a status symbol in Asia, and also for "traditional" remedies that have no scientific justification.<br />
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It is time for those of us who care about our planet and its animals to try to eliminate these cruel and destructive practices. I knew about shark hunting only in a general sense, but having been educated about the horrifying specifics, I'm doing my part by writing about it now, and I hope that every person who reads this can tell a few others about it and start a ripple effect.<br />
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Here are some of Alon's photos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHIT9uJkrlXnuPMMjcuijkV53mEdzZJw1ESErGTVUuRxagj4-x8jpKHUh0hKvrPibIKm_cuniGwuf6YdKRw-PEIcdL7qjYWnjzp1ojQHUk3mP_TpVAzRIL2PWV-IwaYDe9qKNlqr-bCU/s1600/Sharks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1088" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHIT9uJkrlXnuPMMjcuijkV53mEdzZJw1ESErGTVUuRxagj4-x8jpKHUh0hKvrPibIKm_cuniGwuf6YdKRw-PEIcdL7qjYWnjzp1ojQHUk3mP_TpVAzRIL2PWV-IwaYDe9qKNlqr-bCU/s320/Sharks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The second lecture was by Yigal Miller from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmel_Hai-Bar_Nature_Reserve" target="_blank">Carmel Hai-Bar Nature Reserve</a>, not far from where we live. He's responsible for the <a href="https://www.4vultures.org/2019/06/18/securing-the-future-of-vultures-in-israel/" target="_blank">vulture</a> rehabilitation program. Vultures are highly endangered, and human factors have drastically reduced their population. Habitat loss, electrocution, shooting, poisoning, and even traffic accidents account for many deaths. Because vultures scavenge on carcasses, poison passes along the food chain and they can be killed by eating other animals that have been poisoned. They can also get lead poisoning from eating lead bullets as well as from having lead bullets lodged in their bodies if they are shot and manage to survive. </div>
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Vultures lay one egg and both parents raise the chick together, taking turns to stay with the chick while the other parent flies off in search of food to bring back for the offspring. As a result, if one parent dies, the chick has little chance of survival. The Hai-Bar rescues such chicks and raises them in captivity, as well as conducting a captive breeding program. They take care not to let the chicks become used to humans and "<a href="https://www.wildlifecenter.org/human-imprinting-birds-and-importance-surrogacy" target="_blank">imprint</a>" on them. </div>
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Eventually, the vultures are released into the wild. Yigal said that since they have been putting GPS trackers on the released birds, they can see how far they fly, ranging into our neighbouring countries, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, and even as far as Sudan.</div>
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The Hai-Bar has a controlled feeding station, where they receive dead livestock and test them before feeding them to the vultures. They ask the farmers who raised the animals about antibiotics and pain medications they might have received, to avoid passing these on to the vultures and making them ill, and in some cases they test the carcasses.</div>
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The lecture didn't directly address a sad case we learned about recently. In May this year, eight of the twenty <a href="https://www.4vultures.org/2019/05/17/mass-poisoning-nearly-wipes-out-griffon-vulture-population-in-golan-heights/" target="_blank">vultures in the Golan died of poisoning</a>. While this case received widespread media attention, Yigal said that vultures die or disappear almost every day, and the problem is wider than just one poisoning event.</div>
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Vultures are another species with a negative reputation, but their importance in the biosphere cannot be underestimated. People may find the scavenging of dead animals distasteful, but it is an essential part of the circle of life. I have come to appreciate vultures much more since watching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV6HJBZD_hZcIX9JVJ3dCXQ" target="_blank">SafariLive</a>, a channel that livestreams African wildlife in an authentic and uncensored manner. While I don't consider them lovable and cuddly like the lions and leopards I enjoy watching, I have great respect for them and for all the species that make up the fabric of our planet's ecosphere. I wish the Hai-Bar's conservation efforts the best of luck.</div>
<br />Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-80445849395422351222019-03-15T14:56:00.001+02:002019-03-15T18:46:03.193+02:002019 ITA Conference<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On 13 March 2019, I attended the <a href="https://ita.org.il/?lang=en" target="_blank">ITA</a>'s annual conference. This year it was a one-day event on a smaller scale than in previous years, and was named the <a href="https://ita.org.il/?page_id=2718&lang=en" target="_blank">I-Tea-A Party Seminar Day</a>. While the organizers were reluctant to call it a conference, that's what it was, and a very enjoyable one at that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The event was held at <a href="http://www.kmc-hotel.co.il/" target="_blank">Kfar Maccabiah</a> hotel, in their conference building. There were plenary sessions at the beginning and end of the day, with two parallel lecture tracks in between.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first plenary speaker was <a href="https://il.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-birnbaum-92498421" target="_blank">Dr. Gabriel Birnbaum</a> of the <a href="https://en.hebrew-academy.org.il/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Academy of the </span>Hebrew Language</a>. He gave a survey of the Academy's <a href="https://en.hebrew-academy.org.il/historical-dictionary-project/" target="_blank">Historical Dictionary</a> of Hebrew project. Work on this dictionary started in 1959, and was one of the first dictionaries in the world to use computers. There are two stages to making the dictionary: first, creating the corpus of all the words in the Hebrew language, based on historical texts; and second, editing a dictionary with definitions and examples. The process of inputting the corpus of Hebrew started with work on all the words in the Mishnah, with all their roots and grammatical forms. Other ancient and medieval Hebrew texts were gradually added, and each time the best available manuscript was chosen. From 1964, they started adding modern Hebrew texts starting from about 1750, but in this case they sampled words rather than inputting all of them. Today they have reached some of the Hebrew authors of the early twentieth century, though with some of them issues of copyright complicate things. The public can search this <a href="https://maagarim.hebrew-academy.org.il/Pages/PMain.aspx" target="_blank">database</a> online and find all the examples of a word's appearances in the corpus. The actual dictionary, which began in 2004 and is available online, starts from the last letter in Hebrew, Tav, because so many dictionaries start at the beginning and are never completed, so this time they decided to start from the end and work backwards. So far, they have added about 600 entries of words starting with Tav, with word meanings, how frequent the word is in the corpus, when it was first documented in Hebrew, a<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">s well as examples from various sources within the corpus. This was a fascinating talk about an important project.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The next lecture was by <a href="http://www.jct.ac.il/en/shira-leibowitz-schmidt-bio" target="_blank">Shira Leibowitz Schmidt</a>, about cross-cultural translation. The examples she used were from the English subtitles of the documentary film "Hidden Face". This documentary tells the story of an Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi, and the subtitles had to be understandable by an audience who might know very little about Judaism. In this case, a balance had to be found between reflecting what was said and expressing the meaning in a way an audience could understand without prior knowledge.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.michelleframcohen.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Michal Fram-Cohen</a> told the story of two nineteenth century Hebrew translations of the novel<i> Vale of Cedars</i> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Aguilar" target="_blank">Grace Aguilar</a>, which came out in the same year. The first translation was quite close to the original story, while the second "translation" completely changed the story and one of the main characters, for ideological or educational reasons. Of course, modern translators would never do such a thing, and it was interesting to see what used to be acceptable.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yael Valier described the difficult process of translating rhyming children's stories from Hebrew to English. Since word for word translation won't work for rhymes, the strategies include trying to recreate the sounds, reproducing the meter, turning it into a prose story to keep the meaning, or writing free verse that is still beautiful but without the formal poetic structures. It was interesting to realize that rhyming is very easy in Hebrew, which has grammatical endings that are easy to match, while the rhythm and meter tend to be less important. The translator has to find out the publisher or author's goal and target audience and choose a strategy that will suit this goal.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.tzivia.com/" target="_blank">Tzivia MacLeod</a> from the <a href="https://www.scbwi.org/" target="_blank">Society for Children's Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)</a> gave a talk about helping Israeli authors of children's books get their work translated and marketed abroad. This involves defining the goals for the book, finding an agent (which is not required in Israeli publishing) or self-publishing, and adapting the book for an international audience while maintaining its specific cultural setting because publishers are seeking diversity.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After lunch, <a href="http://www.gaguzia-translations.com/" target="_blank">Stephen Rifkind</a> discussed how to find translating work from abroad. Translators of Hebrew have an advantage, because it's a rare and "exotic" language. Of course, it's important to specialize. He recommended quoting an overall price rather than using a per-word or per-hour rate, and aiming to find a price level suitable for forming a long-term relationship with a customer. Cultural sensitivity is also necessary, for example: knowing which cultures like to negotiate terms and how to be polite.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/batiaeb" target="_blank">Batia Buchnik-Epstein </a>from Q-Lingua translation agency described the ISO 17100 standard for translations. This involves documenting the credentials of all professionals involved. They use teams of translator plus reviewer / reviser / proof-reader. This standard is useful in fields requiring great accuracy, such as life sciences, defense, automotive, and electronics. They use <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-assisted_translation" target="_blank">CAT</a> (computer-assisted translation) rather than <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_translation" target="_blank">MT</a> (machine translation). This gave me an interesting insight into a different type of work.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, the last plenary session was given by <a href="https://www.dorymanor.com/" target="_blank">Dory Manor</a>, a poet and translator of French poetry into Hebrew. He discussed various aspects of translating poetry. He considers this very different to translating prose, and the translator of poetry basically has to be a poet and create poetry in the target language. One of the interesting aspects he brought up is that almost all the canonical Hebrew poets up to the middle-late twentieth century were writing in a language that was not their mother tongue, and in many cases not even their second or third language. This seems to be extremely rare in the world of poetry. He brought examples from his translations of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Baudelaire" target="_blank">Baudelaire</a> into Hebrew, showing how he sometimes used alliteration or introduced concepts that would echo with Hebrew-speakers. In some cases, his translations drifted from the original in terms of meaning, in an attempt to convey similar associations in the target language.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would like to thank the organizers and speakers. The lectures in this conference were all interesting, although not necessarily relevant to my own practice. I really enjoyed this event, and found it disappointing that it was attended by fewer translators than past conferences. I hope the coming years will see increased participation so that these annual events can grow and reach a larger audience. </span></span>Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-85236171491787588122019-02-19T13:30:00.001+02:002019-02-19T13:30:27.526+02:00Guest post on ITA BlogI was asked to contribute a guest post on the ITA Blog.<br />
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I wrote about how translators can help authors get their books published, beyond just translation.<br />
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You can read it <a href="https://ita.org.il/?p=2700&lang=en&fbclid=IwAR3EOzSe4Q-_NRcTIXEpk3_Dj1-HoAKd5FPT5cVR7xj8nlw0qg4cMz0o5Bg" target="_blank">here</a>.Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-19845134851665613892019-01-12T10:04:00.000+02:002019-01-12T10:04:45.536+02:00UK Pink Floyd Experience and EchoesOn Sunday we went to a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd" target="_blank">Pink Floyd</a> tribute concert by the British band <a href="https://www.ukpinkfloydexperience.com/" target="_blank">UK Pink Floyd Experience</a> and the Israeli band <a href="https://www.echoes.co.il/" target="_blank">Echoes</a>. The show at the Haifa Convention Center was the third and last in this tour of Israel, after Beersheba and Tel Aviv. The audience seemed to be mostly my age or older. I like Pink Floyd's music, both in itself and in its pervasive influence over so much of the progressive and alternative music I enjoy. However, I'm not enough of a fan to be familiar with their entire repertoire and the solo careers of each member.<br />
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I had mixed feelings about the idea of tribute bands. As a creative, I greatly value originality. I expect that many fans of any artist would consider the idea of listening to another band "imitate" their favourites anything from bizarre to offensive. But the model whereby music is played exclusively by its authors was not established until relatively recently. Classical composers were aware that their work would be played and conducted by other performers beyond their control. Perhaps they considered their role more like that of a playwright. In recent years, the talent shows that have become popular on television have featured many cover versions of well-known songs each week, and perhaps this has led the public to be more accepting of the idea of tribute bands. There are successful stage musicals and biopic films based on the music of various stars. I can also see the attraction to performers of recreating the songs they admire. Many musicians learn to play by practicing their favourite music, and imitation is a stage in learning. Not every good musician has to be a composer of great original music. Ultimately, I put my misgivings aside and enjoyed an evening of good music.<br />
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The show was originally planned to be by UK Pink Floyd Experience, and they added Echoes, apparently after seeing them on YouTube, for reasons discussed below. The combination of the two bands worked well. They played some pieces together on stage. In some songs, members of one band performed with the other band. And they performed many works separately. Each band had a different emphasis, at least in this show. UK Pink Floyd Experience focused on some less well-known material, including songs by Syd Barrett and David Gilmour, while Echoes performed many of the more popular Pink Floyd hits, focusing on the albums <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon" target="_blank">The Dark Side of the Moon</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall" target="_blank">The Wall</a>. The performance of both bands was impressive, with some improvised parts that showed their skills beyond mere imitation.<br />
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Because "we can't have nice things", the reasons for including Echoes in the concert and for the way the playlist was divided between the bands were largely political rather than artistic. It didn't come as a surprise to anyone that the Israel-hater Roger Waters tried to get UK Pink Floyd Experience to cancel their shows in Israel. As a <a href="https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Pink-Floyd-tribute-band-lets-Israeli-counterpart-play-Roger-Waters-song-576439" target="_blank">compromise</a>, they decided not to play the songs associated with Waters themselves and to delegate that task to Echoes. I think the Israeli audience appreciated their decision to appear in Israel despite the pressure, and the compromise allowed the show to be satisfying, with a combination of familiar and less familiar works. It was also a great opportunity for Echoes, and I'm sure they have benefitted from the cooperation and from the exposure to a wider audience.<br />
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I have written before about <a href="http://ruthludlam.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-boycotting-country-is-immoral.html" target="_blank">BDS</a> and why I believe boycotting Israel is immoral and counterproductive. It seems ridiculous that there are artists who believe they can change the world not through their art itself but through depriving certain groups of people of access to their art! I see art, like love, as something that illuminates the world and should be shared as widely as possible. People who spread darkness, division, and hatred, especially those who feel so righteous about it, are misguided and actually contribute to the spread of evil in the world instead of uniting the whole human race by finding things everyone can enjoy in common, such as music and art.<br />
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I enjoyed the concert and was gratified that they found a way to make it happen despite attempts to prevent it. Let music and love win!Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-59784824415079495592018-11-26T15:45:00.000+02:002018-11-26T15:45:11.827+02:00The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe - Novella et al.<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #111111; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24.7px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stephen Novella, with Bob Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Jay Novella, and Evan Bernstein. <i>The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How To Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake</i>. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; list-style: none; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">Hodder & Stoughton, 2018.</span></span></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been listening to the weekly podcast, <a href="https://www.theskepticsguide.org/" target="_blank">The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe</a>, for the past 12 years, so I was happy to hear that the presenters were publishing a book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book starts with a detailed elaboration of core concepts in critical thinking. It discusses the way human beings think, how we know things, and various cognitive biases that make our thinking inaccurate. This is an important section, and the book is worth buying even if you only read this part. Readers will learn how and when to doubt, how to evaluate information, and how to apply this knowledge first and foremost to themselves. The point of being a skeptic is not to find certainty in your own opinions and attack those who hold different opinions, but to be comfortable with uncertainty and subtlety, to be aware that scientific knowledge is provisional, and to approach knowledge with humility. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next section features stories of the contributors' adventures in skepticism, each choosing a different aspect. Then the book discusses the media and how and why it misrepresents science and enables the promotion of fake and even dangerous opinions. Naturally following from this section are some examples of how pseudoscience can be fatal, not just "harmless" beliefs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book concludes with a section on changing yourself and influencing others to be better critical thinkers. Once again, the purpose isn't to win arguments or feel superior, but to approach knowledge and opinions with an open but informed mind, with humility and a willingness to change and admit our mistakes when proven wrong. The podcast and book encourage a gentle attitude to trying to change others, and I agree with this approach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an important book that should become essential reading for any enlightened person, whether interested in science or just in the way we think. It should be translated into other languages. Highly recommended.</span><br />
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</iframe></span>Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-29823491584736839832018-11-03T15:53:00.001+02:002018-11-03T15:53:13.997+02:00Trip to Jordan 2018My mother, sister, and I went on a short trip to Jordan. The trip was planned and organized by <a href="http://www.sands.co.il/wandering-sands/" target="_blank">Wandering Sands</a>, and our private guide was Abu Yazam of Zeta 4 Tourism.<br />
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Israel has had a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel–Jordan_peace_treaty" target="_blank">peace treaty</a> with Jordan since 1994. I haven't been able to find out how many Israelis visit Jordan each year, or how many Israelis take connecting flights through Amman Airport. According to our guide, it can be difficult for Jordanians to visit Israel, as applying for a Visa can take two months.<br />
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We crossed into Jordan at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_River_Crossing" target="_blank">Jordan River border crossing</a> near Beit She'an. This was my first experience of crossing an international land border. After the security check and passport control, a shuttle bus took us across the border. Our guide, Abu Yazam, met us there and facilitated our passport control on the Jordanian side, which included a retinal scan. Our trip took us from north to south. We drove toward our first destination, Jerash. The landscape and agriculture in the region was reminiscent of parts of Greece, and we were told that many of the agricultural workers were Syrian refugees.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash" target="_blank">Jerash</a> is the site of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa. The modern city completely surrounds the archaeological site. Only about 20% of the ancient city's area has been excavated, and the rest is unlikely to become available unless the residents are relocated. But even this fraction of the ancient city provides an impressively large and well-preserved section of the ancient city. A few highlights of our visit: Hadrian's Arch, the Forum, the Theatre (which was full of school children), the Cardo, the Temple of Artemis (goddess of hunting and patron deity of Gerasa), and the Nymphaeum.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hadrian's Arch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forum</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theatre</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardo (modern city in background)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple of Artemis</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nymphaeum</td></tr>
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As we were leaving the site, it started raining heavily, and we ran to the car. We had lunch at the Green Valley Restaurant. Jordanian food is familiar to us, and everything was fresh. I can confirm that the hummus is good. After lunch we drove, sometimes through the rain, to Amman. We had to cross a few deep puddles, and the city streets were full of children playing in puddles.<br />
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In <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amman" target="_blank">Amman</a>, we first visited the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amman_Citadel" target="_blank">Citadel</a>. This site afforded us impressive views of the city, and also ancient sites of various periods, and a small archaeological museum. We noticed the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raghadan_Flagpole" target="_blank">Raghadan Flagpole</a>, one of the world's largest flagpoles, but the enormous flag wasn't flying that day due to the strong wind and rain.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjef_IFr5r2i5NNZCPvKv9wWRJ_yRaBbKkYKgF3z61gGonfzP8Q5Clf1Re624ljE_UU2y03NHRGOBZuHasexY-zkz3YwR7_D-byfRbCDcYuMNyemjUMj_bmpxX247TTWiTj9PAz3qa80E0/s1600/IMG_5978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjef_IFr5r2i5NNZCPvKv9wWRJ_yRaBbKkYKgF3z61gGonfzP8Q5Clf1Re624ljE_UU2y03NHRGOBZuHasexY-zkz3YwR7_D-byfRbCDcYuMNyemjUMj_bmpxX247TTWiTj9PAz3qa80E0/s320/IMG_5978.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ummayad water cistern</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTppt8i1KDclrk1Rwm9eu4SKdJhG_rhZT2Q9cgbp-LKaIkXVJqcGfcqO-FjyswBiCMzKfMy53AHstYMCP_g7Q0MInswYlgsj8XLpnJY9Nxg5ZH1kQaKIat9-3vwHtjLeNPMgoFBDrZ990/s1600/IMG_5980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTppt8i1KDclrk1Rwm9eu4SKdJhG_rhZT2Q9cgbp-LKaIkXVJqcGfcqO-FjyswBiCMzKfMy53AHstYMCP_g7Q0MInswYlgsj8XLpnJY9Nxg5ZH1kQaKIat9-3vwHtjLeNPMgoFBDrZ990/s320/IMG_5980.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ummayad Palace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gZhIuQkcbgWzmNVZeDrvW6ACLtWPi7RYm9Ru-w0Q9ujbwmm4ZhwZzKz9__FUUiLBDKxGwyXDoEISGLMre1z4wkfDn_JvxANk8N8c-ekFw-IsqqFFl0tKfp1X0indbnJeUUmaE-s87bY/s1600/IMG_5982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gZhIuQkcbgWzmNVZeDrvW6ACLtWPi7RYm9Ru-w0Q9ujbwmm4ZhwZzKz9__FUUiLBDKxGwyXDoEISGLMre1z4wkfDn_JvxANk8N8c-ekFw-IsqqFFl0tKfp1X0indbnJeUUmaE-s87bY/s320/IMG_5982.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Amman with the Raghadan Flagpole</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSWFyd2bYM91DIn5sSMdonok875XmQXFAK5MO9_b4B8I0vPyJ6nyI_LpBWJS-sWAyVPp7YSY_4G6hSyzS5_LI9QIZ9L8WWoIQrAOqU-RYZBmxaz9WaEO-FP8yQd8k_N8ApEKypihfeIU/s1600/IMG_5983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSWFyd2bYM91DIn5sSMdonok875XmQXFAK5MO9_b4B8I0vPyJ6nyI_LpBWJS-sWAyVPp7YSY_4G6hSyzS5_LI9QIZ9L8WWoIQrAOqU-RYZBmxaz9WaEO-FP8yQd8k_N8ApEKypihfeIU/s320/IMG_5983.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunbeams over Amman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GB99ABRZoQT5YuVmd9gBALQA2UVyCVAsL_hhDkqC4QSenkCsWs0Pt2g8VM67ZtWCrZBZiCRsxG0fBhumzOfd-UeDTSBoEVIUnCMKE2yy6k5yPrL5pSzFRim2TW1bWjLPnv4TNa2Dur4/s1600/IMG_5986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GB99ABRZoQT5YuVmd9gBALQA2UVyCVAsL_hhDkqC4QSenkCsWs0Pt2g8VM67ZtWCrZBZiCRsxG0fBhumzOfd-UeDTSBoEVIUnCMKE2yy6k5yPrL5pSzFRim2TW1bWjLPnv4TNa2Dur4/s320/IMG_5986.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artemis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWrecuO6f6HMmXcPXT705AvRpck2L7U-sH-LC-sHVqAJrnvYUeKqMomf63uEqhSchhEQnmQTMdtG_ghir3U-5BQcUWB7CsrQhKkkv0KRXic1MRBrcSlokuLlRoR0GZ9ErLLGENm3LZsU/s1600/IMG_5988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWrecuO6f6HMmXcPXT705AvRpck2L7U-sH-LC-sHVqAJrnvYUeKqMomf63uEqhSchhEQnmQTMdtG_ghir3U-5BQcUWB7CsrQhKkkv0KRXic1MRBrcSlokuLlRoR0GZ9ErLLGENm3LZsU/s320/IMG_5988.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83h7gpQjrbo0no-yxKO-XQD9ACuSGDPNzi5E65uLOnlYO5tPq1W1I0xYx1jxM-KyPGJ0eQLmyV6ylLJY__W6A1zao0ATsQqMELnYTKf7TTvkoznIVcjcUoWVZ7NAfhE3GJ49Sp_rn3HQ/s1600/IMG_5989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83h7gpQjrbo0no-yxKO-XQD9ACuSGDPNzi5E65uLOnlYO5tPq1W1I0xYx1jxM-KyPGJ0eQLmyV6ylLJY__W6A1zao0ATsQqMELnYTKf7TTvkoznIVcjcUoWVZ7NAfhE3GJ49Sp_rn3HQ/s320/IMG_5989.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass vessels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFKY2VCmhp1UjX3F3OCFIk3R9ZOng4qp_4KPfb5bOXR7m35KYuuiG8VftSl_05e8FsxFNo08Ekrgt8xjKC4dvOL_A4Cxkjntsz6MK55tP2AjA2m4zbADMeuq-zI_4wFIMzImYJmj1PIk/s1600/IMG_5992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFKY2VCmhp1UjX3F3OCFIk3R9ZOng4qp_4KPfb5bOXR7m35KYuuiG8VftSl_05e8FsxFNo08Ekrgt8xjKC4dvOL_A4Cxkjntsz6MK55tP2AjA2m4zbADMeuq-zI_4wFIMzImYJmj1PIk/s320/IMG_5992.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant hand of Hercules (from a 12 meter tall statue destroyed in an earthquake)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvaZdpgHoNzGpRu0AvPHSfMmLRH1eJ8PEhQ6XlKQ0OoEdJXXnNyIAkHYzylumuU9nWX61r_pBb0nCp3geD_4f5dyfH6v-hhHy2s0TCGBva1uzgazaBczVGp8OHb7asSyJpdHBKVjpFIQ/s1600/IMG_5996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvaZdpgHoNzGpRu0AvPHSfMmLRH1eJ8PEhQ6XlKQ0OoEdJXXnNyIAkHYzylumuU9nWX61r_pBb0nCp3geD_4f5dyfH6v-hhHy2s0TCGBva1uzgazaBczVGp8OHb7asSyJpdHBKVjpFIQ/s320/IMG_5996.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple of Hercules</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
After the citadel, we visited the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_theater_(Amman)" target="_blank">Roman theatre</a>, with 6,000 seats. It was built into the hillside and is now surrounded by the modern city. There was a small folklore museum here, containing some mosaics and costumes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspIaSlqyRATJirXa4MB4ibhitXcjuQwCVogTrdWGPwMaW7fhyitLhI4dzZw5FDGRTWUzbPqLDXmGD6SpdCYLZpFYA3oZ5pc2n1LYvgOOCmoztB85cSCpwokTfa0-Wnc8JF56V4UmXQJ4/s1600/IMG_6018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspIaSlqyRATJirXa4MB4ibhitXcjuQwCVogTrdWGPwMaW7fhyitLhI4dzZw5FDGRTWUzbPqLDXmGD6SpdCYLZpFYA3oZ5pc2n1LYvgOOCmoztB85cSCpwokTfa0-Wnc8JF56V4UmXQJ4/s320/IMG_6018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amman Roman Theatre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_73fs1Ni6mnWWwG6mKGBxcO0UF9J4SsgWFfMCcIJDWENT0aSfbM2GeOrUSBLoLrb65_SiaaOM36EQpdmEcK55df_y9xWTf6uF4f-h7yFBRyfZ59GbioHOOgwYtV00P7eZn3q9b3pA9U/s1600/IMG_6020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_73fs1Ni6mnWWwG6mKGBxcO0UF9J4SsgWFfMCcIJDWENT0aSfbM2GeOrUSBLoLrb65_SiaaOM36EQpdmEcK55df_y9xWTf6uF4f-h7yFBRyfZ59GbioHOOgwYtV00P7eZn3q9b3pA9U/s320/IMG_6020.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capital at Amman Roman Theatre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN54B3gXx9t7KK-d4mNYM9Y_cEseskYHAn8FiV0vy_OAagj1QTcT8x0sMLXsFZ2NOsYDCyrJQ7Ealt8sTtSP_zpL8Fpp59J8InV63cClDsHik_X_5C1jRFnTIJccG3Bx_l2DliyUDyLxI/s1600/IMG_6021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN54B3gXx9t7KK-d4mNYM9Y_cEseskYHAn8FiV0vy_OAagj1QTcT8x0sMLXsFZ2NOsYDCyrJQ7Ealt8sTtSP_zpL8Fpp59J8InV63cClDsHik_X_5C1jRFnTIJccG3Bx_l2DliyUDyLxI/s320/IMG_6021.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosaic at the Folklore Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCoRfmbC4PUl9vz6WmmUB53J3nLIsWJBqtpUOlgfY-fD2ec-F9Xm6V6g_eMhTpUso71ANoGe-SN1SYbtAcvC01_oO2UlUjRnWUArAVQRUzKSn2b17oInq6TDtjnWI4_R1M1_WuJ1w1-0/s1600/IMG_6022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCoRfmbC4PUl9vz6WmmUB53J3nLIsWJBqtpUOlgfY-fD2ec-F9Xm6V6g_eMhTpUso71ANoGe-SN1SYbtAcvC01_oO2UlUjRnWUArAVQRUzKSn2b17oInq6TDtjnWI4_R1M1_WuJ1w1-0/s320/IMG_6022.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosaic at the Folklore Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfr5zq5rG6Tn7ys1tqCtL8YNUXrMBGVm7aVM9Vdr8r8zwcv5Y5SDk4QXmd4m1BHdbBxY_D8prsxHaJUoRbLXdUHj-uzL0MAR7kkZ1pQR2nWZGLiJDUpLtKZAJX0qvRwRkbNS1XUej9Nhk/s1600/IMG_6023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfr5zq5rG6Tn7ys1tqCtL8YNUXrMBGVm7aVM9Vdr8r8zwcv5Y5SDk4QXmd4m1BHdbBxY_D8prsxHaJUoRbLXdUHj-uzL0MAR7kkZ1pQR2nWZGLiJDUpLtKZAJX0qvRwRkbNS1XUej9Nhk/s320/IMG_6023.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert fighter costume, still worn by the desert branch of the Jordanian army</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsVXF6Ve3Tc_b4NZy-rbbxHq-dwwakV2zbJI3zVgdmnzIAzykc4f26tvMv8auxzXwrGnLKGStjjuxxg5Lh5W57t4HskBRpUJlOWWTjvpOzIg4hU1WOmyU6WbWtLUI8JNhvr-TQTJdsdw/s1600/IMG_6024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsVXF6Ve3Tc_b4NZy-rbbxHq-dwwakV2zbJI3zVgdmnzIAzykc4f26tvMv8auxzXwrGnLKGStjjuxxg5Lh5W57t4HskBRpUJlOWWTjvpOzIg4hU1WOmyU6WbWtLUI8JNhvr-TQTJdsdw/s320/IMG_6024.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Bedouin costumes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
About this point, our guide Abu Yazam received a phone call from the Ministry of Tourism. There had been flash floods at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%27in_Hot_Springs" target="_blank">Ma'in hot springs</a> near the Dead Sea, where we supposed to go the next day, and about 20 people were missing, mostly school children. We followed this tragedy over the next days, hearing that the Israeli army sent rescue teams and helicopters to help in the search. This meant that we didn't visit the hot springs, and we were very relieved that this hadn't happened to us, though sad that anyone had died.<br />
<br />
From Amman we drove south to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madaba" target="_blank">Madaba</a> and stayed at the <a href="http://grandhotelmadaba.com/" target="_blank">Grand Hotel</a>. While we were having dinner, a group of Christian tourists from India were praying and singing hymns in the lobby, which was rather unexpected. This showed the wide appeal of the ancient Christian sites of Jordan to Christians and other tourists from all over the world.<br />
<br />
After a cloudy and sometimes rainy first day, the next day was clearer. We started with a visit to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Nebo" target="_blank">Mount Nebo</a>, with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, the Dead Sea, and across it toward Jericho. Visibility wasn't quite good enough to see Jerusalem. Seeing the spectacular mountains made a profound impression on me, and I think I feel about mountains the way some people feel about the sea. We saw the impressive mosaics in the Moses Memorial.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikfK760gdPs04ldR6SYv5DknTNRm-L1nXJHZ9Z1b1QjXyDnAMlhKNn4qRVgO-jXHvE-NgWeSohyphenhyphen48lQHdralz6LOyj2b__gIc1x06xw-X7rLM4lJ9-uE0ZjMTNReK7136-KnA47jJ6tI8/s1600/IMG_6026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikfK760gdPs04ldR6SYv5DknTNRm-L1nXJHZ9Z1b1QjXyDnAMlhKNn4qRVgO-jXHvE-NgWeSohyphenhyphen48lQHdralz6LOyj2b__gIc1x06xw-X7rLM4lJ9-uE0ZjMTNReK7136-KnA47jJ6tI8/s320/IMG_6026.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View toward the Dead Sea, with a glimpse of Jericho beyond</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lion</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbaR8v3jWOTcQP3FMn3eieKDJjbhp187_zab0OHUFuVVmBxFqeTtLQnQ1IgaglOH4BmMOWZg-URJ4SxqSezIWmJuHF-FXFVGBPUBH-8AK_oCCITl5eRlmzjr1LEnw3wx7MOG3OgspP0g/s1600/IMG_6061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihbaR8v3jWOTcQP3FMn3eieKDJjbhp187_zab0OHUFuVVmBxFqeTtLQnQ1IgaglOH4BmMOWZg-URJ4SxqSezIWmJuHF-FXFVGBPUBH-8AK_oCCITl5eRlmzjr1LEnw3wx7MOG3OgspP0g/s320/IMG_6061.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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From there, we returned to Madaba to visit St. George's Church, home of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madaba_Map" target="_blank">Madaba Map</a>. This is a Byzantine mosaic map of the Holy Land. This was of particular interest to my mother, whose M.A. thesis and <a href="https://books.google.co.il/books/about/The_city_of_Gaza_in_the_Roman_and_Byzant.html?id=6hYXAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y" target="_blank">book</a> were about Byzantine Gaza. Among other things, in her research, she found mention of a Byzantine clock in Gaza, and managed to locate its depiction on the Madaba Map. The church also contained a painting of the Virgin Mary with three hands, one of them blue, which is her miracle healing hand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPVn0MbC106IgH1q2iKJ5OLY3zbR2Q5BluWF9DKXHXJeWDUZHt2TP-wumIaHauRZj_vqkVw_s4htet8c7sZ103IGpbpxalbR4i9ABg2-k-wkJS4MzitPSQEqTSyhcVgQDmfQ3B3_lAy0/s1600/IMG_6071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPVn0MbC106IgH1q2iKJ5OLY3zbR2Q5BluWF9DKXHXJeWDUZHt2TP-wumIaHauRZj_vqkVw_s4htet8c7sZ103IGpbpxalbR4i9ABg2-k-wkJS4MzitPSQEqTSyhcVgQDmfQ3B3_lAy0/s320/IMG_6071.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. George's Church, Madaba</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIK06ZmJLGTl6LcV5inmtGgg2JwxzaiCD8Ha0e1iCQ1nLMkfb-WJGRVcZCQFmQqA9VnnZluWARYna6CV6MkJIo3eB22LSPVMhjGxRYeweXUkLeUJJjPHG5HE9XaKuOrzzxgaAQ7njZ20/s1600/IMG_6072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIK06ZmJLGTl6LcV5inmtGgg2JwxzaiCD8Ha0e1iCQ1nLMkfb-WJGRVcZCQFmQqA9VnnZluWARYna6CV6MkJIo3eB22LSPVMhjGxRYeweXUkLeUJJjPHG5HE9XaKuOrzzxgaAQ7njZ20/s320/IMG_6072.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madaba Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZwuXJ04P5OJhTxk4MFOhQEHwB0fT1ReWO5pO2RpYXtd0jTBK01ivVModzVrq7FJAzpUoY_xFX3v1MTlTF1U4E3vzYhgRErgC65OvbdTZJdj9gdb6qKqh8cv68C2UEQmum9w73oStA6Q/s1600/IMG_6074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZwuXJ04P5OJhTxk4MFOhQEHwB0fT1ReWO5pO2RpYXtd0jTBK01ivVModzVrq7FJAzpUoY_xFX3v1MTlTF1U4E3vzYhgRErgC65OvbdTZJdj9gdb6qKqh8cv68C2UEQmum9w73oStA6Q/s320/IMG_6074.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madaba Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHlwtov5rLT1a0BIcvJdFAXjR55Sztq5atFRXcXLtAMWuwUSmzZDDEuX_BQ6BwBNPg2jKoujNzjP4c7iJBWjjVT7r2zIV4N7Wa6qTD8O3yzYudoV2AY6EF7knQRCNKvgdk-iw9gZayTc/s1600/IMG_6078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHlwtov5rLT1a0BIcvJdFAXjR55Sztq5atFRXcXLtAMWuwUSmzZDDEuX_BQ6BwBNPg2jKoujNzjP4c7iJBWjjVT7r2zIV4N7Wa6qTD8O3yzYudoV2AY6EF7knQRCNKvgdk-iw9gZayTc/s320/IMG_6078.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madaba Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRI9k8c0llgAiYsygoX-FitQoR6ydZOlFHtafBgtu5DA8p9lf0PQ5FZ6gyjOTbdH4LHsXZBOrRCPCC1m_C4aVJvLvdgf7gH-Y0C4NVuNkQ1QsTmh48QJ2FNa-k2CFsY23uu54EecwTHvo/s1600/IMG_6079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRI9k8c0llgAiYsygoX-FitQoR6ydZOlFHtafBgtu5DA8p9lf0PQ5FZ6gyjOTbdH4LHsXZBOrRCPCC1m_C4aVJvLvdgf7gH-Y0C4NVuNkQ1QsTmh48QJ2FNa-k2CFsY23uu54EecwTHvo/s320/IMG_6079.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madaba Map: Jerusalem</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABdNNczZKSAn10rgaAD2YZdjXbWXCsMrLwRihVkr9bB-ZFQt53E6Q9lf87gg3JsrxhRsWReFgM0FuMVSVhcsokieajPdCT36sc_fCfe0n5eA0TloF5z5isFsRMP7rCGWmORrAXm5oG-s/s1600/IMG_6075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABdNNczZKSAn10rgaAD2YZdjXbWXCsMrLwRihVkr9bB-ZFQt53E6Q9lf87gg3JsrxhRsWReFgM0FuMVSVhcsokieajPdCT36sc_fCfe0n5eA0TloF5z5isFsRMP7rCGWmORrAXm5oG-s/s320/IMG_6075.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madaba Map: Gaza</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5l_lqdXNl0-pKU-kxnO9mdHI7mqKmXiG5yoSGW_Ek4qxT_zV5rXa30GjX73_NqVr25xi70QTZ3VnCu-OekSr8F_2YBIL3iZ6h7JNctCl90_wL_XeuDj-rz6-UM5D6g3LUp9SItbMLbEk/s1600/IMG_6083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5l_lqdXNl0-pKU-kxnO9mdHI7mqKmXiG5yoSGW_Ek4qxT_zV5rXa30GjX73_NqVr25xi70QTZ3VnCu-OekSr8F_2YBIL3iZ6h7JNctCl90_wL_XeuDj-rz6-UM5D6g3LUp9SItbMLbEk/s320/IMG_6083.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three-handed Virgin Mary, St. George's Church, Madaba</td></tr>
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Next our guide took us to the Byzantine Church of the Apostles, which is apparently less well-known, as we were the first tourists to visit that week. The remains of the ancient church are housed in an impressive modern building. The attendant let us view the mosaics from close up and sprayed them with a special spray to make them clearer to see. The mosaics include a Personification of the Sea and various human figures and animals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church of the Apostles, Madaba</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGI2d8IiDIbZCAa6OYebn-eIf6YY3gKwgr_fEE6hyxBdCJZ7SdnEiunnZEjURezU8egqEmqMpf033LbDbodJjuwbFOtTOUdeJb1YnTzJJpi2RQODawIF2R3aKFZDaoahVEHMDl0W5d7gA/s1600/IMG_6116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGI2d8IiDIbZCAa6OYebn-eIf6YY3gKwgr_fEE6hyxBdCJZ7SdnEiunnZEjURezU8egqEmqMpf033LbDbodJjuwbFOtTOUdeJb1YnTzJJpi2RQODawIF2R3aKFZDaoahVEHMDl0W5d7gA/s320/IMG_6116.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Personification of the Sea</td></tr>
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From Madaba, we drove south toward Petra. We stopped at the Petra Tourism Centre for lunch and to buy some souvenirs. The landscape gradually changed from mountains to desert. We visited <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_(Crusader_castle)" target="_blank">Shawbak</a> (Montreal) Crusader Castle, built by King Baldwin of Jerusalem and later occupied by Saladin. While we didn't get to visit Kerak, Jordan's most famous crusader castle, this site was interesting in its own right.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the desert</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently, one arch was a church and when Saladin conquered the site he added a mosque in the other arch</td></tr>
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We reached Petra and stayed in the <a href="http://www.petrapalace.com/CPage.aspx?In=2" target="_blank">Petra Palace Hotel</a>, located conveniently close to the entry to the site.<br />
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The next day was devoted entirely to walking around <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra" target="_blank">Petra</a>. From the site entrance, our guide took us down the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siq" target="_blank">Siq</a>, a gorge in the natural rock formation that serves as a narrow entrance to the ancient city. The rocks themselves are astonishingly beautiful, and it was a profound experience to see the result of millions of years of geology and thousands of years of weather that went into forming the landscape. Add to this the ancient carvings that must have taken years and decades of dedicated human work. We reached the so-called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Khazneh" target="_blank">Treasury</a> (actually a mausoleum like most of the impressive engraved facades), a site familiar from many films and photos, around mid-morning when the light is at its best. Knowing what to expect didn't prepare me for the sense of awe I experienced seeing this work of art. There was a strange contrast between the hustle and bustle of tourists and local people offering camel rides and selling postcards and what I was feeling. Neither words nor pictures can express the sense of wonder. I feel privileged to have visited this place.<br />
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From the Treasury, we continued walking down through the ancient city. We saw the Winged Lions Temple, the Cardo, and the Theatre, along with various tomb facades.<br />
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We had lunch in a restaurant called The Basin, and spent a while resting in the shade. The weather was perfect for our visit, but it wasn't an easy walk. At this point, Abu Yazam left us, having explained the various routes we could take back. We decided that the climbs to the High Place and to the Monastery would be too much for us, and instead we chose the path that took us to the Byzantine Church, with its mosaics, and past the Tombs of the Kings.<br />
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We made our way back to the Treasury, where we sat drinking Bedouin tea for a while. Then we slowly retraced our steps through the Siq and returned to the hotel.<br />
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One thing that bothered me was the use of animals at the site. You can ride in a horse-drawn cart along the Siq, and in other parts of the site you can ride a camel, horse, or donkey. While I have read that the authorities are trying to improve the working conditions of these animals and prevent abuse, we saw them being whipped with electrical cables, and we heard the unhappy cries of donkeys echoing through the canyons. I couldn't help remembering the donkey sanctuary we visited in England, and we naturally decided to refuse all offers of rides so we wouldn't be contributing to animal abuse. Visiting this site does require a lot of walking, but it's not impossible even for less fit individuals.<br />
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Our final day in Jordan included a visit to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Rum" target="_blank">Wadi Rum</a>, a beautiful desert area that was used in filming <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film)" target="_blank">Lawrence of Arabia</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_(2012_film)" target="_blank">Prometheus</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(film)" target="_blank">The Martian</a>, and we were told that another film is being made there at present. The scenery was breathtaking. We rode on the back of a jeep driven by a local guide. We saw the rock formation called the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, and my sister climbed a sand dune, barefoot at the guide's recommendation. There were ancient rock carvings and some more recent rock carvings showing Lawrence of Arabia, King Abdallah I, and the first Bedouin to live in the area. Some people camp in the area over night, and there are some interesting new geodesic domes in some of the camps. We had a wonderful lunch at the Bedouin camp, and I also bought some of the local herbal tea.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a rock formation where local tribes gathered to settle disputes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand dune</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient rock carvings</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lawrence of Arabia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Abdallah I</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkO2XwC33tNYFstJQN0-5TYgy1zeAbHQ-XstkgVJ0GwIbTmcsG20aovFiocsfEZ9yZyMJBGObonaIDJDwFOuPDEbxLmCfukvZIUAJ52vTr_ULORG7uEfcW2SrgxWpiOWrTS_fGuQHQVoE/s1600/IMG_6468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkO2XwC33tNYFstJQN0-5TYgy1zeAbHQ-XstkgVJ0GwIbTmcsG20aovFiocsfEZ9yZyMJBGObonaIDJDwFOuPDEbxLmCfukvZIUAJ52vTr_ULORG7uEfcW2SrgxWpiOWrTS_fGuQHQVoE/s320/IMG_6468.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First local Bedouin</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQPnxPY3yVqluiv0-a_gZT6ALqlRa95GRHp36wkSRUHqOJwyGIFTPYDxsc8NnLo7NKYUAEG7lHXhvHjra06N4bmmyhvDxGHfU6LrlWyZ4r4lSU-pAfNG7Vo_LFXKuCwIPKCwV88qcM0s/s1600/IMG_6478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQPnxPY3yVqluiv0-a_gZT6ALqlRa95GRHp36wkSRUHqOJwyGIFTPYDxsc8NnLo7NKYUAEG7lHXhvHjra06N4bmmyhvDxGHfU6LrlWyZ4r4lSU-pAfNG7Vo_LFXKuCwIPKCwV88qcM0s/s320/IMG_6478.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our trip ended with a drive to Aqaba, where we crossed back into Israel at the <a href="http://www.iaa.gov.il/en-US/borders/yitzhakrabin/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Rabin border crossing</a>, drove to Eilat, and got a flight back to Tel Aviv.<br />
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For those interested in visiting, unless you know Arabic, I recommend going in a group tour or with a private guide. The best times of year are spring and autumn. Drink only bottled water, as the tap water is considered unsafe, at least for visitors. It's worth having a hat with a neck strap or wearing a headscarf, as the wind often threatened to take my sunhat. We encountered no hostility even when we said we were from Israel.<br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I really enjoyed this short trip to our fascinating neighbouring country. It exceeded my expectations. This visit made me think about the connection between Israel and the surrounding area. We are all part of the same geography and the same history, with great diversity of ethnic and religious groups, and I hope that the people living in the region today can gain a wider perspective and strive for peace and co-existence as part of the continuing story of this part of the world.</span>Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-9787240724282236822018-10-24T14:53:00.000+03:002018-10-24T16:49:29.990+03:00Day trip to Lille 2018During the second week of our holiday in England, Heather & John took us on a day trip for Ivor's 60th birthday. We went to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lille" target="_blank">Lille</a>, France, by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurostar" target="_blank">Eurostar</a> train. This was my first visit to France, and also my first trip on a high-speed train. The thought of going through a tunnel under the sea is somehow more alarming than going through a tunnel under a mountain, for some reason, but during the journey I didn't think about it.<br />
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We walked through the old city to the tourist information office to book a bus tour of the city for that afternoon. Then we had lunch. I enjoyed a traditional vegetable stew accompanied by quinoa and salad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Column of the Goddess, a symbol of the city's resistance to occupation</td></tr>
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After lunch we walked along the canal to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citadel_of_Lille" target="_blank">citadel</a>. It is currently used by the French rapid reaction force, so we were unable to go inside, but it was originally designed by Vauban and is known as the Queen of Citadels.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSNWxlHBMSIv_SZg8AQcTcLZU2aH2XrC7a1OlSaBkS-8qDdjlh2vFkr1d92NnCxW9tcE9QFrBONj4hCOdt4-hxjzWmLs1Wi1hAdFNW422y-v1JcoqxxDEpDVloU__yOyjzVqPAscOxCs/s1600/IMG_5457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSNWxlHBMSIv_SZg8AQcTcLZU2aH2XrC7a1OlSaBkS-8qDdjlh2vFkr1d92NnCxW9tcE9QFrBONj4hCOdt4-hxjzWmLs1Wi1hAdFNW422y-v1JcoqxxDEpDVloU__yOyjzVqPAscOxCs/s320/IMG_5457.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gateway to the citadel</td></tr>
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On our way back to the old city we saw the Cathedral, with its modern façade.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHe9O7AdFs2HxfbIMvm8j_tgGf_wz6zwQS934Z9OF8bgnwbcm9oUsSNY3epiudzE0VEPQ5nXC1ryCrgUZrpq5JH76RsfPmZgWkC9qa0GYa3OsifYwHqFi3MqOZaHpRl59QafoosFPUlx8/s1600/IMG_5482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHe9O7AdFs2HxfbIMvm8j_tgGf_wz6zwQS934Z9OF8bgnwbcm9oUsSNY3epiudzE0VEPQ5nXC1ryCrgUZrpq5JH76RsfPmZgWkC9qa0GYa3OsifYwHqFi3MqOZaHpRl59QafoosFPUlx8/s320/IMG_5482.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We passed a dog café, but didn't go inside.</div>
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In the old city, we saw the Chamber of Commerce and then walked around a used book fair held in the Bourse. This included books and old illustrations, some of them removed from old books and magazines to be sold as artwork.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chamber of Commerce</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book fair at the Bourse</td></tr>
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The bus tour around Lille was interesting, but it was difficult to take good photographs from the bus. The guide gave explanations, and there were also video screens with narration in several languages and passengers could choose which language to hear on their earphones. This tour allowed us to see more of the city and to get some perspective on its history and architectural diversity. I was able to get a reasonable picture of the statue of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Arc" target="_blank">Joan of Arc</a>, but not of the house where <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Gaulle" target="_blank">Charles de Gaulle</a> was born.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Joan of Arc</td></tr>
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Our day ended with dinner and shopping at the Euralille shopping mall near the station. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3V-tPu1KbJnHGyEhI4J2M7_NRyjw-HGbLf51BDcYjAkJvgltkzRlRCKViFXfauZCgmgmtbMFvARzxTUwz6OstwKlcIA2QKygcBCw3UeaHLaUa39oAaKh4WOcqxsWv9__CHDQdQUUZ1Bo/s1600/IMG_5546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3V-tPu1KbJnHGyEhI4J2M7_NRyjw-HGbLf51BDcYjAkJvgltkzRlRCKViFXfauZCgmgmtbMFvARzxTUwz6OstwKlcIA2QKygcBCw3UeaHLaUa39oAaKh4WOcqxsWv9__CHDQdQUUZ1Bo/s320/IMG_5546.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L-shaped building near Euralille</td></tr>
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I enjoyed this taste of a new country. Each city is unique, and while many tourists would visit Paris on their first visit to France, Lille had its own character and was worth visiting. I expect I will visit other places in France some time in the future.</div>
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Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-32475676309028163682018-10-20T16:01:00.002+03:002018-10-20T16:01:56.531+03:00Holiday in England - part 2/2The second week of our holiday was spent in the south east, mainly in Ivor's home county, Kent. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I will write a separate account of our day trip to Lille, France.</span><br />
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We visited <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidstone" target="_blank">Maidstone</a>, where we enjoyed the river and the old buildings.<br />
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The next day we went up to London. First we visited the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guildhall,_London" target="_blank">Guildhall</a>, where we saw the remains of a Roman amphitheatre, the Great Hall, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Lawrence_Jewry" target="_blank">St. Lawrence Jewry</a> Church.<br />
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After lunch, we wanted a peaceful place to relax. We went to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunhill_Fields" target="_blank">Bunhill Fields</a> cemetery, where we saw the tombstones of Daniel Defoe, William Blake, and others. We sat on a bench and watched people on their lunch break, and also spotted some squirrels. We don't get squirrels in Israel, so I enjoy seeing them in England.<br />
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Next, we visited <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoreditch" target="_blank">Shoreditch</a>, a part of London that is becoming gentrified and hipster. We saw evidence of this, and also of the resistance to this trend in the local graffiti. We visited the Brick Lane Bookshop, which had a good selection of political and radical books. I overheard someone say "Oh yes, Dostoyevsky's <i>Crime and Punishment</i>"! We passed by several hipster-type establishments, including the famous Cereal Killer café and places selling vinyl records and rainbow bagels (or "beigels"!).<br />
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Our reason for visiting this part of London was <a href="https://www.ladydinahs.com/" target="_blank">Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium</a>. This is a cat café, housing several cats, and decorated with a Through the Looking Glass theme. We went into the basement, where we were able to interact with the cats. We were served afternoon tea, with sandwiches and cakes. I had the vegan/dairy-free option, and there was too much food to finish. Unlike in some cat cafés, most of the cats are not available for adoption but are permanent residents. This was an enjoyable experience, and <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> I was pleased to see that all the guests were respectful of the cats. </span><br />
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The next day we had another animal-related visit, this time to <a href="http://www.buttercups.org.uk/" target="_blank">Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats</a>. We were able to feed the goats cornflakes and dry pasta.<br />
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Later we visited Tenterden, another picturesque town. I was pleased to find a Tiny Free Library and to see a bee in the fuchsias.<br />
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Another place we visited in Kent was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoneacre,_Kent" target="_blank">Stoneacre</a> House, a lovely 15th century home and garden.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rye,_East_Sussex" target="_blank">Rye</a> in East Sussex is a lovely coastal town. We visited the Ypres Tower, with its impressive views, walked along Mermaid Street, and visited Lamb House, home of Henry James.<br />
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The morning before our return home, we had a walk in Hawley Wood for a welcome final dose of English green.<br />
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We also visited the Old Windsor branch of the <a href="https://www.battersea.org.uk/about-us/visit-us/visit-battersea-old-windsor" target="_blank">Battersea Dogs and Cats Home</a>, but photography was forbidden. This was my second visit to this place, and I was once again impressed with the facility. This was a lovely conclusion to a very enjoyable holiday.Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-81111921836539741162018-10-03T11:35:00.000+03:002018-10-03T11:35:23.690+03:00Holiday in England 2018 - part 1/2We spent the first half of September in England, four years after our previous visit. Our trips to England combine the following: meeting family and friends and their pets; visiting places of natural beauty and historical interest, and places related to animal rescue and welfare; eating (too much) delicious food; and some shopping. This time we had fifteen days, which is a substantial time for a holiday. It also gave us an opportunity to reconnect with our Englishness and to fantasize about what our lives would be like if we could live in England. We do this with other places we visit, such as Greece, but moving to England somehow feels more natural, as we have citizenship and relatives living there. It's unlikely to happen, but still fun to imagine.<br />
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When I arrived in England, I immediately drank in the soft, green nature and the calmer atmosphere. Spending time in nature is good for the soul. Trees, fields, rolling hills, bird song, the sea. The towns and places we visited were also full of a specific English character, or, more accurately, reflected various aspects of being English. We stayed in the south, and only one day was spent in London, in contrast to many overseas visitors who never leave the capital.<br />
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Some general comments about England. We noticed the growing number of wind turbines and solar panels creating non-polluting energy, and every shop assistant asked whether we needed a bag instead of thrusting one on us and us having to refuse it, as often happens here. In this respect there seems to be some improved environmental awareness. However, the supermarkets were full of over-packaged processed food, sometimes packaged in small quantities, which makes it even more wasteful. Some types of packaging are recycled, but reducing packaging is more effective than recycling.<br />
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Another thing that hasn't changed from our previous visit is the reluctance to accept fifty pound notes (bills), with some shops displaying a sign saying that they won't take them. In other countries, notes of equivalent value are accepted without problem, and I don't understand why English shops have a problem with them. However, the world is moving to a cash-free economy, so eventually there won't be any notes and everything will be done digitally.<br />
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This report will focus on the places we visited. Our first week focused on the central and western parts of southern England.<br />
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Our first trip was to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odiham_Castle" target="_blank">Odiham Castle</a>, a ruined castle built in 1207 by King John. We walked along the Basingstoke Canal and explored the remains.<br />
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The next day we visited <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester" target="_blank">Winchester</a>. A flower festival was being held in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Cathedral" target="_blank">Cathedral</a>, with flower-based installations inspired by the Winchester Bible's illuminations.<br />
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Winchester itself is very beautiful, and I like the statue of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_the_Great" target="_blank">King Alfred</a>.<br />
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The next day we drove west. After a brief stop near Stonehenge (which we visited on a previous trip), we spent some time at the <a href="https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/" target="_blank">Donkey Sanctuary</a> in Sidmouth. We enjoyed seeing the happy rescue donkeys in their fields and shelters.<br />
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We continued to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth" target="_blank">Plymouth</a>, where we met up with Ivor's best friend from school after 40 years. His part of Plymouth was very green and had excellent views of the countryside.<br />
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After staying overnight in Plymouth, we continued to Cornwall, a place where my family has spent many holidays over the years. We went to the beach at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawgan_Porth" target="_blank">Mawgan Porth</a> and on the cliffs at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnewas_and_Bedruthan_Steps" target="_blank">Carnewas</a>.<br />
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Then we walked around <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padstow" target="_blank">Padstow</a>, which retains much of its character despite becoming increasingly touristy.<br />
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<br />Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-45036703401257880052018-08-30T12:18:00.000+03:002018-08-30T12:18:00.184+03:00Ten Years of Blogging<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yesterday marked the tenth anniversary of this blog, Reality and Fiction. It's only fitting that I use this platform to express what having this creative outlet has meant to me over the past decade.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Over the past ten years, I have written about various aspects of reality and fiction, as the title implies. The fiction bit was easy: reviewing books I've read. The reality aspect covered various things that happened in my life and in the world around me, including some ethical discussions of political and religious issues, reports of travel, concerts, and of traumatic events like fires, and some of the things I do online, such as watching kitten cams. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I never intended to make money out of this blog, and in fact I haven't, though I put up Amazon affiliate links to the books I review. Its purpose was different. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I wanted this to be somewhere for me to get across my thoughts and reach readers. It combined two aspects: creative and public.</span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Creatively, writing this blog has been good practice for me. I enjoy writing essays about issues, and the length of a blog post seems to suit my style. As a writer, everything I write counts as practice and experience, so I was glad to have a place for my own writing. I enjoy thinking about what I want to write, then organizing the structure of the essay, sometimes in my head before I start writing, but more often I write and reorganize until it flows well. Editing my own writing has also made me a better editor and translator, so there's a professional benefit too.</span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">In terms of making my writing public, this has also been a good experience for me. Knowing that at least a few people will read what I'm writing has made me try to see my words from the outside, as if I'm someone else reading them, without the context of my own mind. I've also received some feedback from readers. People enjoy both the contents of my essays and my writing style, and it gives me great satisfaction to know that I'm giving people some pleasure or interest. </span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Someone once asked me if I wasn't shy about having my personal blog read by strangers. I explained that this was the whole point, to reach other people and share my thoughts with them. As an introvert, I don't often open up to strangers, and very few people know me completely. This allows me to control what I want others to know about me, and to push beyond my shy comfort zone. It's good preparation for when I finally publish my books.</span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">My blog's readership is usually quite small, because I don't really make an effort to promote it beyond my own social media. When I write on a topic that interests any of my groups, such as my reports about translation conferences or when I write about something related to the kitten cams I watch, I let the relevant groups know about the blog post and sometimes get a much larger readership. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Sometimes people have shared my blog posts to their social media, or included links to specific posts on their websites.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">While there have been times when I made an effort to write every week or so, there are often times when I don't write very frequently for various reasons. Realizing that the blog has been around for ten years has made me aware of how much I appreciate having this creative outlet and form of public communication, and I hope it will encourage me to write more frequently again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Readers, if you have been following this blog for all or part of its ten years, thank you for your attention and I hope you will continue to enjoy my future posts!</span>Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7281741899710965189.post-27322082697082454162018-06-04T15:42:00.000+03:002018-06-04T15:42:02.704+03:00Imperfection is liberating<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nobody's perfect - and that's a good thing!<br />
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I often get annoyed when I see motivational slogans like: "You're perfect just the way you are" or "Don't let anyone tell you to change". These sentiments are supposed to increase people's self-confidence and self-love, but it seems to me that they're wrong in two ways.<br />
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First of all, what is perfection anyway? People have so many different characteristics that even if we could agree on what perfection is in each of them, nobody could be perfect in all of the characteristics. Indeed, some are contradictory. You can't be a perfect introvert and also a perfect extrovert.<br />
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Secondly, to tell someone they're already perfect and don't need to change is to stifle their growth. It means they should freeze themselves as they are and never develop, never acquire any new skills or traits. Also, people may have some negative characteristics and attitudes that are really worth changing, for their own sake and for the sake of others around them. They are imperfect in a negative way that actually requires some work.<br />
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We are all born as helpless babies with some predispositions, <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">tendencies, </span>and personality traits already present. From this moment onwards, we grow and change as a result of the interaction between nature and nurture. If we are lucky, our nurture will encourage our innate strengths and steer us away from our innate weaknesses. For example, encourage us to develop our musical talent or our writing skill, while not exposing those with a predisposition to addiction to the dangerous behaviours that can destroy lives.<br />
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Acknowledging that there's no such thing as perfection, and that we'll never be perfect, frees us to decide what to learn in life and how to develop. We can improve in whatever direction we want, from whatever starting point we happen to be at. It's never too late to change and grow, and because we don't have to be perfect, we can be anywhere on the scale. If our criterion is not perfection but progress, we can balance having a positive self-image with having a desire to continue improving.<br />
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I would prefer the motivational slogans to say: "You are imperfect and therefore free to change in whatever way you choose" and "If someone points out something you should change, decide if that's something worth changing, they might be right".Ruth Ludlamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049982885066905153noreply@blogger.com0