Monday, May 21, 2012

The Triangle



There's this catchy song by Barry Manilow about a romantic triangle against the background of the notorious Bermuda Triangle.

A couple decides "to get away and have some fun". She wants to Bermuda. He's against, warning her that "Bermuda Triangle/It makes people disappear/Bermuda Triangle/Don't go too near".

When in Bermuda, lying on the sand, he suddenly looks up and "sees her with a stranger hand in hand", " ..sitting on his blanket", "..going for a swim", "..running after him". In short,this place 'made his woman disappear'.

Bermuda Triangle is a mystery zone in the Atlantic ocean where ships and airplanes are said to have disappeared , leaving no trace.
There are several theories regarding factors that might be responsible for this kind of disappearance in this particular zone of unusual weather problems:
- magnetic , gravitational or supernatural forces active in the area
- a creature (such as Lockness in Scotland) present in the waters of the triangle
- abduction of the ships and their crew, by extraterestrial beings.

Personally, I believe it's the work of supernatural forces; scientists couldn't come up with some other plausible explanation.
As for the the song, don't worry, it has a happy end. As the guy was lying there lost and lonely, " a lovely stranger says Hello and takes my hand/Now Bermuda Triangle not so bad".



Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Let's Get Together - the ability of disability


Park areas and other green zones in the city are usually associated with children and their moms (children play, moms watch) , senior citizens who stop  by to sit on a bench  for some rest, young couples hugging under a tree, joggers and bike riders that practice their favorite sports..

There's also this category of  elderly people bound to wheel-chairs, and their caregivers ; they come here to breath some fresh air, escape loneliness, and interact with other people in the same situation. The green spot is ideal,  as it both relaxes and revitalizes, provides a pleasant setting for chatting and  fun.  One meets these people, especially in the late afternoon or early evening hours.


Most of the caregivers are foreigners, epecially filipinos (the latter are considered more tendered hearted than the israelis - which may be true ,but equally true is that welfare makes  local people lazy ,spoilt, and selective about work -  hence the need to import workers to help with the disabled people).

Though not physically disabled, these  foreign helpers are also in some way 'disabled' , for they are far away from their families, facing language barrier, hard work. and sometimes sexual harassment. They look forward to meet their compatriots in order to share  experiences and information in their native language. Sometimes, they get deep in their small talk, forget about the person in the wheel-chair, and suddenly one hears someone shouting something like :"Look, his head has dropped down...".


(The above photos were taken in the early evening hours ,from distance, as  I didn't want to embarass  or irritate anyone of my intended  'camera objects'.).