Life in the West Bank

I can’t be in Jordan without facing the reality of what is happening one the other side of the Jordan/Israel border. If only CNN and their pals would pay attention!!! Please read this quick posting (clipped below) , then watch “Who profits from Israeli occupation” (also below or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L32Nama7ad8). I heard about both from Juan Cole (Uof Michigan Middle East expert-guy and great blogger) at http://www.juancole.com/. Get the word out!!

clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com An Account of Life on the West Bank On August 3, my husband Mohammed Khatib, and my little brother Abdullah, were taken from their beds in our West Bank village of Bil’in at 3 AM by the Israeli military. My husband is a member of the Bil’in Popular Committee, which has been leading our village’s nonviolent campaign against Israel’s construction of a Wall and a settlement on our land. For nearly five years, every Friday we have been joined by supporters from Israel and around the world as we attempt to march to our land on the other side of the Wall. According to the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the settlement amounts to a war crime, and in 2004 the International Court of Justice ruled the Wall illegal. Despite this, the construction of the Wall and settlements continued, and we are treated as criminals in our quest for justice. On top of tens of arrests, hundreds of protesters from Bil’in have been injured and one has been killed by the Israeli military.

The video:

Invest in new water technology

clipped from cleantechnica.com Climate Change = Watertech Boom Necessity is the mother of invention, and real needs will grow with climate change. The most fundamental of these is the need for fresh water. Despite predicted long-term water stress across a wide swathe of agricultural states like California,  we will have to find ways to grow the food we need. All kinds of novel adaptations must be made, from recycling water to learning to grow food in salt water and to reusing water that we do have. A great deal of California’s energy budget goes to just moving water through the state. Innovation will be needed to reduce this waste of energy. Discovering or inventing adaptations to the effects of climate change on growing food could make water tech the emerging green boom, especially here in drought-ridden California. The state is getting a third of $58 million in Federal water tech funding designed to stave of hydrological disaster.

Jordan summer pics

Some random pictures of Jordan this summer.  Enjoy.

Amman July 2009

I’m back

Back online, will hope to post some fun tidbits in a while…

I’m Baaack!

I just arrived in Jordan about 3 hours ago. The lovely Khouri’s picked me up at the airport, fed me breakfast and are making me feel at home and welcome. I’ll be here for about 8 weeks, most of that time in the villages and away from the internet, but I’ll try to craft a post now and again if possible.

BTW, just heard about Michael Jackson, what a bummer. I mean, I feel like we grew up with him, and one of my most exciting childhood memories is of the day MTV aired the full 45 minute (or did it just seem that long) version of Thriller… Of course, it seems surreal hearing it in Arabic and trying to decipher the vocab. Having inet access helps! Take care all.

Simplify the Holidays

Spreading the good word I heard on Olin Lagon’s  Social Actions blog.  Check out the Simplify the Holidays campaign–hey I can DO this stuff: potted christmas trees, edible gifts, cleaning up the streets!  What a great way to celebrate!

It’s RAINING!

Just a quick shout of joy.  It’s a grey, blustery, crisp day here in Amman and it is raining.  A light warm drizzle to be sure, but water falling from the sky.  It’s a gift and a blessing. 
Enjoy fall!

Glorious September

Work is still busy, in and out of the villages, but when I’m in Amman, it’s absolutely lovely.  We’ve had fall weather lately, though there are no trees with leaves to change, it’s been a refreshing shift.  Days are still in the mid-80s but there’s been a cool breeze so even that’s not so bad.  Yesterday, inside my apartment was so cool I had to wear long sleeves!  And at night…well I actually need to dig out my blankets as it’s in the low 70s an maybe even 60s!  Marvelous.  But it makes me a bit homesick for the fall sights and smells of MI and MN.

Hope you have time to take a few minutes and enjoy the refreshing shifts happening in your locale!