Spring roll strike in Israel

by Catherine Bodry on

If you were in Jerusalem yesterday and had a hankerin’ for some spring rolls, you may have found yourself searching to no avail. Workers went on a one-day spring roll strike to protest the Israeli government’s plans to purge the Jewish state of foreign chefs at Asian eateries. Although patrons didn’t have to cross a picket line to enjoy some chow mein or pad thai, all of Israel’s 300 Asian restaurants supported a one-day boycott of egg and spring rolls.

Reuters points out that “Israel attracts virtually no immigrants from Asia since anyone seeking citizenship here must prove they have Jewish family or links to the country.” Israeli officials aren’t concerned about the quality of their Asian food after a cleansing of non-Israeli chefs, claiming anyone can be trained: “Everyone can make Chinese food it’s not impossible to learn,” said Shoshana Strauss.

A sushi and noodle strike is planned for two weeks from now.

Israeli pilots may receive Viagra to boost performance

by Aaron Hotfelder on

According to a recent study conducted by Israeli doctors, the erectile-dysfunction drug Viagra may help the performance of pilots at high altitudes. Now, doctors in the Israeli army are considering giving the drug to their combat pilots, who can fly at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet.

According to some military doctors, “The Viagra family of drugs is considered effective in these conditions because when there is a long shortage in oxygen it leads to high blood pressure in the lungs, and the drugs help fight that.”

The pilots are being asked to see their doctors if they are kept in the air for over four hours.

More here.

Balloon twisting art: One way to connect with the world

by Jamie Rhein on

I thought I was finished with posts on balloon twisting until I watched Ori Livney’s commercials. Livney who fashions the balloon dresses I wrote about among other things, as covered on his Web site, has taken a passion and turned it into a venue where he travels the world by sharing his craft. The commercials were for Orange Cellular, an Israeli company. If you’ve ever seen award-winning commercials, I can’t imagine why these wouldn’t be contenders.

You can read about the commercials, sure. But, I think it’s much better to see the real ones. Here’s the first. For the second, continue onto the next page. Turn up the sound. You don’t need it, but it adds to the fun.

Here is the second one. On his Web site Livney mentioned that the balloons couldn’t be blown up far in advance because they don’t work as well. This is some fast action.

Church of the Nativity and Bethlehem Memories

by Jamie Rhein on

It’s only a few days after Christmas and people are asking, “How were the holidays?” as if once the 25th passes there’s no more need for cheer bearing gatherings or reasons to feel merry and bright. I’m still resonating.

When I read Jamil Hamid’s essay about the real Bethlehem and what Christmas used to be like there when he was a child, I felt the same wistfulness about world peace that Hamid, a Muslim, expresses. He mentions the Church of the Nativity, thought to be where Jesus was born. It has a fascinating history and one that continues to transform with Bethlehem’s changing cultural make-up.

His essay also reminded me of my own Bethlehem feelings that I experienced one Christmas Eve in The Gambia. I also thought about the Ohio connection to The Church of the Nativity. (When you live in Ohio long enough, the connections to other places are amazing. I can come up with about anything, however, I can assure you this is an honest to goodness connection.)

This past October, I headed to the Bethlehem Cave and Nativity Museum outside Akron to interview the woman who gives tours and take photos for an article I was writing on nativities across Ohio. The cave and museum are housed in the Nativity of the Lord Jesus Parish, a Catholic Church that picked up on the nativity theme and ran with it. The cave, built in a room downstairs is patterned after the one in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Akron’s replica was designed by the church’s priest based on sketches he made when he used to take tours to the real Bethlehem Cave. He is an expert on the church’s history but does not take tour groups there anymore because ihe believes it has become too dangerous. His church, though, is devoted to the place. Throughout the rest of the church in Akron there are references to the church in Bethlehem.

Along with the cave, the church has a nativity set collection filled with nativities from all over the world. If you ever want a good tiding fix, head here. You can find out a lot about the church in Bethlehem that Hamid writes about. You can also see the star at the bottom of the alter.

Photo of the Day (11/14/07)

by Jamie Rhein on

This shot of Jerusalem by Jordan Chark sums up time in a way. Here’s humanity’s experience in one vista. The skyscrapers and the crane in the distance–all still forging ahead with the new. And, in the center, one of the holiest places in the world resides. Even in the sea of change, there are places that stay firmly in place. The tones of the photo have a certain flatness which heightens the constrast of the gold dome of Dome of the Rock. It looks as if you could reach in the photo and pick it up.

If you’ve caught your own expression of the world, or just anything that has caught your eye, send it our way at Flickr’s Gadling pool. You may find your photo in its own march of time.