Do no Harm

'The only place in Israel where one might guess that Arabs make up 20 percent of the national population, and where they coexist with Jews on a purely non-sectarian basis, is a hospital. There are a few other venues, notably universities, where Arabs work alongside Jews at both high and low professional levels, and where one might find an Arab boss giving orders to a Jewish subordinate, but the proportion of Arabs there is going to be small. A hospital, especially one in Galilee, the Negev or Jerusalem, is the only venue in this country where a foreigner who knew nothing about the Israeli-Arab conflict might spend time, then come away thinking that Israel is a country where a Jewish majority lives alongside a sizable Arab minority - and there is no problem between them'

- This is an quote from an artice found in this week's Jerusalem Post. As a health worker in an Israeli hospital, I have mentioned before my encounters with the wider Israeli population before and I often think about this gounding phenomenon...my conclusions:

Within the walls a hospital, I would like to believe that there is a certain respect for life. Our aim is to preserve life - there is a value placed on saving and caring for life. Outside the walls of a hospital I think people forget this value. They engage in behaviour which makes them think they are invincible. They do things not thinking of the consequences or effects that might occur and reverberations that might be felt in other people's lives...

The rest of the article can be found here:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1178708671867&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Welcome to the Club

I would like to welcome Jonny to the blogosphere. A fellow veteran of Ulpan Etzion and Ruti's many pages of homework that only we did. He's a bit left, but I guess we're not all perfect and he's got some interesting things to say, so enjoy reading!

Did you know?

Did you know that 13 Kssam Rockets fell on Sderot today?

Re-unification

I have been re-united with my city, on a great day - Yom Yerushalayim. I'm eating humus again...yum yum. I really felt like I was back though when just now, on Emek, I ducked out to do some errands and the minute I left the house it started to rain and my luck started to run out. Of course, I slipped - and instead of offering help - the Israeli offered me his piece of advice, even though I of course did not ask him for it - "You know you shouldn't wear sandals in the rain!" - Thanks, thanks a lot. I have taken my sore bum home. I would insert here some gorgeous pics of my nephews and London, however, my camera was stolen...again. I'm not a happy camper.

Bad Habits

Yesterday I read in a little touristy book 'London is a bad habit one doesn't want to lose', so I am currently indulging my bad habits.
One of them being London...the other being collecting goodbyes.
London is so dreary that it almost takes the fun out of taking black and white photos as it's all grey already...yet stimulating... and that's all you need for creating an addiction.