In other words, I'm busy!
In the meantime, why not read about life in Gaza.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Saturday, February 25, 2006
The Best Cure for Boredom
is to get out and talk to people. So that’s what I did.
O. who lived in Australia for three years, told me that although she enjoyed the freedom of movement there – no checkpoints or laws against where you could/couldn’t go - she also found that personally she was less mobile in Sydney because she had two young children and no one to help her look after them. Moving back to the West Bank allowed her to get out of the house more, and get a job, because she could rely on her family here. However, she also pointed out that the problems with mobility (and access to land) here mean there is nothing to do with children. No parks. No trips to the beach.
W. & L. two brothers, told me about the house their father was building, which can still be seen today. However, the land the house was being built on was confiscated and a checkpoint was built on it. Only one of the two stories was built, and this was occupied and used for unknown purposes. In the process, the house was ruined beyond repair. So even if they are able to reclaim their land and property, they’ll have to demolish the shell and start building from scratch. Why is house buidling important: for marriage. As L. put it, what girl is going to want to live with her mother-in-law? And renting a house here is apparently like not having a house.
Mirroring my upturn in mood, the sun has also begun to shine brightly, and the temperatures have risen (allowing among other things a much needed laundry blitz).
O. who lived in Australia for three years, told me that although she enjoyed the freedom of movement there – no checkpoints or laws against where you could/couldn’t go - she also found that personally she was less mobile in Sydney because she had two young children and no one to help her look after them. Moving back to the West Bank allowed her to get out of the house more, and get a job, because she could rely on her family here. However, she also pointed out that the problems with mobility (and access to land) here mean there is nothing to do with children. No parks. No trips to the beach.
W. & L. two brothers, told me about the house their father was building, which can still be seen today. However, the land the house was being built on was confiscated and a checkpoint was built on it. Only one of the two stories was built, and this was occupied and used for unknown purposes. In the process, the house was ruined beyond repair. So even if they are able to reclaim their land and property, they’ll have to demolish the shell and start building from scratch. Why is house buidling important: for marriage. As L. put it, what girl is going to want to live with her mother-in-law? And renting a house here is apparently like not having a house.
Mirroring my upturn in mood, the sun has also begun to shine brightly, and the temperatures have risen (allowing among other things a much needed laundry blitz).
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Bored, Tired, Frustrated, Impatient
Over the last few days my mood has been characterized by all of the above. I'm sure most people experience such emotions when carrying out research projects, but this knowledge doesn't make me feel any better. The sun is back after a prolonged absence, which helps.
In other news, I got my water and electric bill for the month, which came to NIS 319 (that's New Israeli Shekels - one of the currencies used in Palestine, along with Jordanian Dinars and US Dollars). This is both quite a lot of money, since water and electricity are very expensive here, and also not too bad, considering water and electricity are very expensive here.
319 NIS works out (roughly) to US $68, 57 EURO or 39 GB Pounds.
In other news, I got my water and electric bill for the month, which came to NIS 319 (that's New Israeli Shekels - one of the currencies used in Palestine, along with Jordanian Dinars and US Dollars). This is both quite a lot of money, since water and electricity are very expensive here, and also not too bad, considering water and electricity are very expensive here.
319 NIS works out (roughly) to US $68, 57 EURO or 39 GB Pounds.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Don’t try moving house in Palestine.
I asked H. the other day to translate some words for me from English to Arabic. Among them was the phrase ‘move house’. H. looked slightly bemused for a second, then smiled and asked, ‘how would you move an entire house?’ In Arabic there is a word for moving your possessions and living somewhere else, but the phrase ‘moving house’ doesn’t exist. This is probably because most people live in their parents’ homes, until they build their own homes, rather than ‘moving’ per se.
We also discovered, much to H. amusement again, that there is no word or phrase for military incursion, despite the frequency of them in the West Bank.
We also discovered, much to H. amusement again, that there is no word or phrase for military incursion, despite the frequency of them in the West Bank.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
The Jordan Valley
Palestine, after it was carved up in Oslo.I don't know to what extent readers follow the so-called conflict here, but until very recently, I always had a mental image of Israel on the left of the map so to speak, and Palestine on the right.
However, as you can see from this map, Israel actually occupies a very large area of Palestine on the right hand side of the country (or the East in geographical terms). Over the last couple of days, interpid Haaretz report Amira Hass has written about how Israel has not only occupied the Jordan Valley, but in the last couple of years has shut it off from Palestinians, including many people who actually live there.
So if you look at this map, Palestinians can now only live in the green areas. Hence the notion that Palestine is simply one big (or in fact one quite small) prison. The wall is also being rapidly built along the Western edge of the valley. For a more detailed commentary see this article by Amira Hass or this article.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Showering
In the spirit of my on-going quest to record all things banal and quotidian while I'm here, today's blog is about my daily shower ritual. I use the word ritual not only to denote the precision of the process that I go through, but also evoke some of the discomfort (ritual sacrifice) that my body undergoes. For those in the academy, it's a chance to consider how knowledge is made through the body. For those who are not, this post may make you wonder why you are being told about all of these things in such detail...
Firstly, I should point out that I'm quite lucky, in that I am able to heat my water supply, a luxury many people here don't enjoy. All I have to do is flick a switch as soon as I get up, and the water is heated electrically. There have been a couple of occasions when there hasn't been any power in the morning, which simply prevented showering altogether.
The water takes about 1/2 hour to heat up, and there have been mornings when I've been in a hurry, and had to deal with luke warm water. However, mostly the water is hot. While the water heats up I eat breakfast and do a sudoku, then the trial by cold begins. First thing in the morning, my room is always warmer than the rest of the apartment, and so leaving it in my PJs is always a slight discomfort. The bathroom is the furthest room away from my bedroom, and on the side of the building that doesn't get the sun. Hence, getting undressed in there is a process of exposing my body to the cold air.
Nipples like diamond cutters!
The shower water takes maybe 30 seconds to warm up, and then I can get in. However, there is no real water pressure to speak of here, so getting in the shower means sticking different parts of your body underneath a stream of water that might have well have come from a tap. Due to the intense water shortages in the West Bank (and the associated expense of running water), you should spend as little time as possible in the shower (or using any tap), so taking a shower turns into a bizarre form of exercise for me, as I attempt to wash different parts of my body and my hair as quickly as possible.
Then, just as you begin to warm up, it's time to turn the taps off, get out and undergo an even more physically rigourous drying process. (Imagine you're dry and cold, then imagine how cold you would be if you were wet!) After doing this crazy quick-hop-on-the-spot drying/exercise routine, I leg it across the cold kitchen floor, and back into my bedroom, where my electric heater and clothes offer a world of warmth for the rest of the day.
Not even as a child did I mind washing as much as I do currently. Brrr.
Firstly, I should point out that I'm quite lucky, in that I am able to heat my water supply, a luxury many people here don't enjoy. All I have to do is flick a switch as soon as I get up, and the water is heated electrically. There have been a couple of occasions when there hasn't been any power in the morning, which simply prevented showering altogether.
The water takes about 1/2 hour to heat up, and there have been mornings when I've been in a hurry, and had to deal with luke warm water. However, mostly the water is hot. While the water heats up I eat breakfast and do a sudoku, then the trial by cold begins. First thing in the morning, my room is always warmer than the rest of the apartment, and so leaving it in my PJs is always a slight discomfort. The bathroom is the furthest room away from my bedroom, and on the side of the building that doesn't get the sun. Hence, getting undressed in there is a process of exposing my body to the cold air.
Nipples like diamond cutters!
The shower water takes maybe 30 seconds to warm up, and then I can get in. However, there is no real water pressure to speak of here, so getting in the shower means sticking different parts of your body underneath a stream of water that might have well have come from a tap. Due to the intense water shortages in the West Bank (and the associated expense of running water), you should spend as little time as possible in the shower (or using any tap), so taking a shower turns into a bizarre form of exercise for me, as I attempt to wash different parts of my body and my hair as quickly as possible.
Then, just as you begin to warm up, it's time to turn the taps off, get out and undergo an even more physically rigourous drying process. (Imagine you're dry and cold, then imagine how cold you would be if you were wet!) After doing this crazy quick-hop-on-the-spot drying/exercise routine, I leg it across the cold kitchen floor, and back into my bedroom, where my electric heater and clothes offer a world of warmth for the rest of the day.
Not even as a child did I mind washing as much as I do currently. Brrr.
Life in Iraq
The Al Ayyam perspectiveAs Abu T. pointed out, the fact that Blair promised a swift investigation would satisfy no one in Iraq (or elsewhere in the Arab world), because these types of things have been happening for a long time now, and dealing with this one incident won't solve the broader problem of occupation and the abuses it permits.
Sfeeha
I thought since I'd written a little about food recently, it would be remiss of me not to mention Sfeeha - 'Arabic Pizza' - which is dough the size of a wagon wheel topped with grounded beef, onion, tomatoes and spices. I bought a few from the local falafel shop last night, and they were zaaki ikteer - very delicious!
If you're ever offered Sfeeha, accept graciously.
If you're ever offered Sfeeha, accept graciously.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Experiences of Islam
As pictures of cartoon-inflamed Muslim rioters fill people's newspaper screens/newspapers/radio waves, etc, I was reflecting yesterday that my most 'direct' (if that's the right word) experience of Islam here in Palestine, is on Fridays, when many people take the day off, go to the mosque, and then spend time with their families. Although obviously I don't participate in these activities, the village becomes quiet and tranquil, and I like to take a walk and enjoy the sense of peace and inner calm that fills me as I do so.
Arabic Joke
You really need to a) speak basic Arabic and English and b) say this out-loud for it to be slightly funny, but here goes anyway.
An English man who speaks little Arabic goes into a Lebanese restaurant, and through pointing at the menu, manages to order some food. After a delicious meal, the waiter asks him - in Arabic - if he wants anything else? The English man shakes his head from side to side, pats his stomach and say 'full, full'.
So the waiter screams out to the kitchen 'foul (ful), foul'.
Yeah...you had to have been there, etc...
An English man who speaks little Arabic goes into a Lebanese restaurant, and through pointing at the menu, manages to order some food. After a delicious meal, the waiter asks him - in Arabic - if he wants anything else? The English man shakes his head from side to side, pats his stomach and say 'full, full'.
So the waiter screams out to the kitchen 'foul (ful), foul'.
Yeah...you had to have been there, etc...
Cooking/Eating update
Ok, by sheer coincidence, (and I genuinely mean that), I was invited for dinner by my landlady the very night I wrote my last post. And what's more, it wasn't just any old dinner, but Warak Dawali (Stuffed vine leaves), possibly my favourite Arabic dish (although there are so many to choose from).
Funnily enough, my bedtime routine was also disrupted by a power cut that night. So instead of jumping into semi-warm sheets, I had to get into a cold bed. Power cuts - there have been three since I got here - tend to happen on the coldest nights, when the electricity system can't cope with everyone staying indoors and cranking up their heaters. Brrrr.
Funnily enough, my bedtime routine was also disrupted by a power cut that night. So instead of jumping into semi-warm sheets, I had to get into a cold bed. Power cuts - there have been three since I got here - tend to happen on the coldest nights, when the electricity system can't cope with everyone staying indoors and cranking up their heaters. Brrrr.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Cooking/Eating
Well, I thought since I’m in the spirit of blogging about banal things, I would move on to cooking and eating.
Although for the first week or so I tried eating just a couple of pieces of bread for breakfast, I found this left me very hungry come mid-morning and also, since I have a sandwich for lunch, eating so much bread got really monotonous, really quickly. So, after the first week I switched (back) to cereal, which, although it isn’t a traditional Arabic food – which makes it expensive since you have to buy imported Western brands – is a traditional Old Man breakfast. I have also discovered this brand of fruit juice called Trapeza or something like that, and the sweetened grapefruit is really nice first thing in the morning. All this is washed down with a cup of tea, which helps to warm me up a little too. I think I’ve had a sandwich for lunch everyday, which is basically a pita, with some sliced turkey, tomato and cucumber in it. I also bought some apples last week. I’m not sure where they are from (Golan is famous for it’s apples) but they’re really juicy and crisp, just the way I like them.
Dinner, which I cook at home, has proved to be a moment for innovation. I only have a stove and no oven, so everything I eat for dinner has got to be boiled, fried or eaten cold. Since I’m trying to lose a few pounds, the fried option has been one I’ve avoided. Coupled with such limited means for cooking, is a limited means for shopping. You just don’t get big supermarkets here. This is most probably because a) it’s difficult to import lots of goods, b) people still prepare fresh food everyday (i.e. don’t cook frozen TV dinners), c) the cost of opening a large supermarket is prohibitive, both in terms of initial capital output and ongoing running costs, d) there are so many mini-markets it would be difficult to convince people to travel to a central location, when most people can just walk across the street to get what they want.
With this in mind, I usually do some form of cooked carbohydrate (potatoes, rice, pasta) and then get some canned meat or fish to go with it. My repertoire has so far included spaghetti bolognese (although it was actually just a jar of tomato source), a version of corned beef hash, and tuna/herring with rice/potatoes. I’m going to get around to making a nice vegetable soup soon, and take advantage of the cheap vegetables here (since they tend to be locally grown). I also have another meal option, which is the ‘can’t be bothered tonight’ one. I’ve only turned to this option twice so far, and it involves going to the local falafel and shawwerma place for a shawwerma sandwich, which at 6 shekels a pop (that’s US $1.5) hits the spot nicely.
Of course, absolutely the best option for eating in Palestine (as with many places around the world) is to get invited to someone's house for dinner. I'm still working on this one...
Although for the first week or so I tried eating just a couple of pieces of bread for breakfast, I found this left me very hungry come mid-morning and also, since I have a sandwich for lunch, eating so much bread got really monotonous, really quickly. So, after the first week I switched (back) to cereal, which, although it isn’t a traditional Arabic food – which makes it expensive since you have to buy imported Western brands – is a traditional Old Man breakfast. I have also discovered this brand of fruit juice called Trapeza or something like that, and the sweetened grapefruit is really nice first thing in the morning. All this is washed down with a cup of tea, which helps to warm me up a little too. I think I’ve had a sandwich for lunch everyday, which is basically a pita, with some sliced turkey, tomato and cucumber in it. I also bought some apples last week. I’m not sure where they are from (Golan is famous for it’s apples) but they’re really juicy and crisp, just the way I like them.
Dinner, which I cook at home, has proved to be a moment for innovation. I only have a stove and no oven, so everything I eat for dinner has got to be boiled, fried or eaten cold. Since I’m trying to lose a few pounds, the fried option has been one I’ve avoided. Coupled with such limited means for cooking, is a limited means for shopping. You just don’t get big supermarkets here. This is most probably because a) it’s difficult to import lots of goods, b) people still prepare fresh food everyday (i.e. don’t cook frozen TV dinners), c) the cost of opening a large supermarket is prohibitive, both in terms of initial capital output and ongoing running costs, d) there are so many mini-markets it would be difficult to convince people to travel to a central location, when most people can just walk across the street to get what they want.
With this in mind, I usually do some form of cooked carbohydrate (potatoes, rice, pasta) and then get some canned meat or fish to go with it. My repertoire has so far included spaghetti bolognese (although it was actually just a jar of tomato source), a version of corned beef hash, and tuna/herring with rice/potatoes. I’m going to get around to making a nice vegetable soup soon, and take advantage of the cheap vegetables here (since they tend to be locally grown). I also have another meal option, which is the ‘can’t be bothered tonight’ one. I’ve only turned to this option twice so far, and it involves going to the local falafel and shawwerma place for a shawwerma sandwich, which at 6 shekels a pop (that’s US $1.5) hits the spot nicely.
Of course, absolutely the best option for eating in Palestine (as with many places around the world) is to get invited to someone's house for dinner. I'm still working on this one...
Sleep
As nothing much in particular is happening in my life at the moment (I finished a bunch of writing I had to do yesterday), I thought I would write a little bit about my sleep routine.
The nights here are very cold at the moment. Although the temperature rarely gets below freezing, there's no such thing as central heating in Palestine, and my suspicion is that the houses are built with the summer heat in mind, rather than the winter chill. So every night that I am at home, I turn the electric heater on, usually as soon as the sun sets. Just before getting into bed, I move the heater to the foot of the bed to heat the sheets a little and also the pillow, which for some reason gets very cold. I then jump into bed and let my body heat warm it a little before getting out again to turn the light and the electric heater off.
Usually, as those who know me will be well aware, I wake up at least once in the night to use the toilet. While it's chilly once I leave my room, I'm usually still half asleep and thus not fully aware of the cold. However, a few times since I've been here, I haven't been able to get back to sleep. I'm unsure if this is because of the cold weather, or some pyschological mechanism in me that starts to think about whether or not the IDF will burst into my apartment in the middle of the night.
At the beginning of the intifada, the IDF entered most homes in the village, and made the occupants stand in front of a camera holding a piece of paper with their name on it. Imagine, if you will, a criminal mugshot. This, of course, is no coincidence. (At another level entirely, the panoptic reach of the Israeli state into the West Bank truly amazes me).
Most nights however, I get back to sleep. Then, getting up first thing in the morning is the most challenging task. It's always cold (unless I wait till midday) and that just makes it even harder for me not to role over and drop off again. The last couple of days it's taken me over half and hour to get out of bed after my alarm has gone off.
If you're ever visiting the West Bank in winter, be sure to bring warm pajamas!! (Alternatively, of course, you could do what all the wealthy Palestinians do and move to Areeha (Jericho) for the winter. It's a lot warmer down in the desert!)
The nights here are very cold at the moment. Although the temperature rarely gets below freezing, there's no such thing as central heating in Palestine, and my suspicion is that the houses are built with the summer heat in mind, rather than the winter chill. So every night that I am at home, I turn the electric heater on, usually as soon as the sun sets. Just before getting into bed, I move the heater to the foot of the bed to heat the sheets a little and also the pillow, which for some reason gets very cold. I then jump into bed and let my body heat warm it a little before getting out again to turn the light and the electric heater off.
Usually, as those who know me will be well aware, I wake up at least once in the night to use the toilet. While it's chilly once I leave my room, I'm usually still half asleep and thus not fully aware of the cold. However, a few times since I've been here, I haven't been able to get back to sleep. I'm unsure if this is because of the cold weather, or some pyschological mechanism in me that starts to think about whether or not the IDF will burst into my apartment in the middle of the night.
At the beginning of the intifada, the IDF entered most homes in the village, and made the occupants stand in front of a camera holding a piece of paper with their name on it. Imagine, if you will, a criminal mugshot. This, of course, is no coincidence. (At another level entirely, the panoptic reach of the Israeli state into the West Bank truly amazes me).
Most nights however, I get back to sleep. Then, getting up first thing in the morning is the most challenging task. It's always cold (unless I wait till midday) and that just makes it even harder for me not to role over and drop off again. The last couple of days it's taken me over half and hour to get out of bed after my alarm has gone off.
If you're ever visiting the West Bank in winter, be sure to bring warm pajamas!! (Alternatively, of course, you could do what all the wealthy Palestinians do and move to Areeha (Jericho) for the winter. It's a lot warmer down in the desert!)
Lemons and the Weather
Click here for a few more pics of Lemons, and some pics of a flash flood.To celebrate a fairly cold and miserable day here in Palestine, I thought I'd post this picture I took on Sunday. There are a couple of Lemon trees outside my front door, one of which produces fruit every month apparently. In the photo set that you can reach by clicking the link (hopefully), I've also posted a few pictures of a thunderstorm we had last weekend (Friday) and the torrents of water that resulted.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
1 story, 2 versions
Which might in fact mean 2 stories:
Here's the Beeb version.
And here's G. version (unedited). G. actually lives with the German guy in question.
Here's the Beeb version.
And here's G. version (unedited). G. actually lives with the German guy in question.
My roommate's eventful night…
Perhaps you have read in the news today that a German was kidnapped and released in Nablus yesterday. You might also have seen pictures of gunmen threatening the French cultural centre in Nablus… This picture is fake. The men in the picture were the police sent there to protect the centre in case it was attacked. What did happen, thought, is that my roommate Chris got kidnapped last night… This begs the question, what will be the newspaper headlines in the next few days? Who did it? Why did they do it? What does it mean?
Everything is over now and Chris is in a German government car on his way back to Jerusalem. Goodbyes were awkward and we were not allowed to accompany him to the checkpoint to say goodbye. The coordinators of Project Hope (where I work) deemed it "too dangerous"… this is just another bullshit excuse to make themselves look more important (but I will explain my issues with project hope in another email….suffice it to say that I don't recommend anyone ever coming to Palestine to work with Project Hope). The Hamas mayor of Nablus came to see us (i.e. the internationals of Nablus) today to present his apologies for what had happened. He repeated the same thing I will tell you now, which is that none of the major militant groups were involved. This was an isolated event carried out by two individuals and the governorate of Nablus will be providing physical protection to the best of its capacity for the coming days just in case something else might happen.
Still, in order to fully understand the context and probable repercussions of this event, it would help to get a little background on the situation in Nablus and Palestine in the past few months. Nablus is the largest city in Palestine. Last December, it overwhelmingly voted in favor of Hamas for the municipal elections. Last month, during the legislative elections, Nablus was another stronghold that contributed to Hamas' overall striking win in the whole of Palestine. Nablus is also located in the West Bank, which has never experienced serious kidnappings (i.e. kidnapping which last longer than a day) as we can frequently see in Gaza. In spite of that, however, the past few days have been somewhat tense because of the recent publishing of caricatures of the Muslim Prophet Mohamed. A weak but general resentment can be felt towards the Danes and the French because of this. A massive demonstration is planned for today and we ( i.e. the foreigners of Nablus), have already received notice that it would be better to stay away from downtown, at least during the demonstration.
Yesterday evening started as usual, with my flat mates and me eating Nutella straight from the pot in the middle of a cold kitchen. A local friend, who happens to be a policeman, gets a phone call. Chris has just been kidnapped. They don't know where he is and our coordinator from work is franticly calling everyone to make sure they are home or on their way home. 15 minutes later, we are all home waiting anxiously for an answer. The news we get is erratic but we understand that gunmen walked into Al-Yasmin hotel ( i.e. the only fancy hotel of the old town) and took Chris away, together with two Palestinian friends (Alaa and Abed, whose names are not even mentioned in the news reports…yet they were kidnapped as well!!). A general feeling of stress sets in as we try to reassure ourselves that nothing bad ever happened in the West Bank and that it surely won't start tonight. Nevertheless, an eerie calmness takes over the flat as we all start walking around, shaking, and trying to call as many people as we can. After a few unsuccessful attempts, nearly all foreigners in Nablus are accounted for. At this point, our hopes are confirmed when we get a phone call saying that Chris has been released and will come back home right after being released by the police.
But who did it? The first group that comes to mind in this case is Al-Aqsa martyr's brigades. They have called on Danes and French citizens to leave Gaza and have threatened violent action if their demands are not met. Secondly, one might point to which political party is in power in Nablus, Hamas. Aside from Islamic Jihad, they are probably the most fundamentalist Islamic group around. Would it not be a logical inference that they would be amongst those most offended by the actions? In the end, it turns out that none of the major groups did it. Whether it was a group of thugs with guns or an ideologically driven group remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that they work independently and without the approval of any of the major groups. As soon as the kidnapping became known, all of the major groups started looking for Chris. Both Al-Aqsa and Hamas were searching the streets and interrogating people to find out who had carried out the kidnapping. This is probably one of the reasons why Chris was released so quickly… Whoever this group was, it will surely get into a lot of trouble form the larger militant groups, whose reputation has now been tarnished because the way this event might be portrayed in the media.
Chris is back in the apartment now, and aside from a little shock, he is doing OK. He is joking about how disappointed the kidnappers were that he was not French. The kidnappers took his oud but he is certainly happy to be alive and well. All his friends have come over and the chaos that preceded his release has been replaced by the chaos of tea drinking and smoking…. Here we are, and the banality of the kidnapping has already gone past Chris and his unexpected and unique "Palestinian vacation". Already, we are telling our own personal stories of how this event has affected us…. Nablusi life will start again as normal tomorrow, except for Chris who has been ordered back to Germany by his embassy.
What will the repercussions be for the city of Nablus, or Palestine in general? My lack of access to international news means I can't really tell what this will be like, but from the little I know, the chance of this event being misinterpreted is quite high. Already, the lack of information in itself leaves so much up to interpretation. The German news reported it as "English Teacher kidnapped in Nablus". What is someone supposed to understand by that? Will there be any further depth to reports on this kidnapping? Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. Perhaps it's just that it feels incredibly weird to see a crime committed in such close proximity.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Paradise Now
Paradise Now garnered an Oscar nomination yesterday. Although the Oscars are complete piffle, this film is worth seeing, if only to get an idea of what Nablus (where the film was partially shot) looks like. It really is a beautiful city.
I saw the film at the VIFF this year, and although I didn't think it was director Hany Abu-Assad's best film (see his imperious Ford Transit), I hope it wins just so it will get a wider release and more people will watch it. As a prize, I will also give a full review if it is successful in March.
I saw the film at the VIFF this year, and although I didn't think it was director Hany Abu-Assad's best film (see his imperious Ford Transit), I hope it wins just so it will get a wider release and more people will watch it. As a prize, I will also give a full review if it is successful in March.
Quiet Days, Noisy Nights
I've been busy with a few pieces of writing over the last couple of days, and I'm also trying to get my research kick-started which (like many things in Palestine) has been taking a while to do.
One of the pieces I'm writing is about the political events here (elections, Gaza pullout), so if any readers would like to share their view of these events from wherever you are in the world then it will be greatly appreciated.
All this work means my priorities lie away from blogging, and hence the feverish daily updates you enjoyed during the election period are now officially at an end. From now on there will be less frequent updates, but hopefully more insight, especially into things the papers, etc aren't covering. (Actually, if anyone has any questions about all things Palestinian/suggestions for features, feel free to leave them in the comments sections).
The noisy nights refers to the local population of dogs, who for some reason always begin howling contests in the middle of the night when everyone has gone to bed. In fact I think there is almost an entirely separate 'dog village' overlaying the one which humans inhabit, which would be fascinating to study in its own right. Most dogs seem to be allowed to roam freely, saving their owners the trouble of walking them. The dogs therefore roam in packs when everyone else has gone to bed. It's ironic that under occupation, Palestinians are often treated as though they were animals that need to be caged, and yet the actual animal population here is far less encumbered than elsewhere in the world.
One of the pieces I'm writing is about the political events here (elections, Gaza pullout), so if any readers would like to share their view of these events from wherever you are in the world then it will be greatly appreciated.
All this work means my priorities lie away from blogging, and hence the feverish daily updates you enjoyed during the election period are now officially at an end. From now on there will be less frequent updates, but hopefully more insight, especially into things the papers, etc aren't covering. (Actually, if anyone has any questions about all things Palestinian/suggestions for features, feel free to leave them in the comments sections).
The noisy nights refers to the local population of dogs, who for some reason always begin howling contests in the middle of the night when everyone has gone to bed. In fact I think there is almost an entirely separate 'dog village' overlaying the one which humans inhabit, which would be fascinating to study in its own right. Most dogs seem to be allowed to roam freely, saving their owners the trouble of walking them. The dogs therefore roam in packs when everyone else has gone to bed. It's ironic that under occupation, Palestinians are often treated as though they were animals that need to be caged, and yet the actual animal population here is far less encumbered than elsewhere in the world.
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