"The Doomsday Vault"

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Wednesday, 29 February is the Earth Arc Day. On this special day (every four years) people on the Earth planet are encouraged to collect some local seeds, put them in an envelope or bag , and ship them to a seed bank for storage that will ensure preservation of world's diversity of food crops in case of global disaster (climate change, tzunami, plant disease etc). The stored seeds could remain undamaged for decades, and even centuries.

There are some 1500 seed banks around the world, but they are rather vulnerable, for various reasons: mismanagement, lack of funds, energy failure, civil unrest etc.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault (nicknamed 'Doomsday Vault' by the Media), opened four years ago on 26 February 2008 and financed by Norway, is supposed to function as a Back-up for all other seed banks.

Svalbard is an arctic arhipelago ; the seed bank built inside one of its mountains is considered better and safer than the ones in the other parts of the world. The reasons are obvious. The place is remote, far from human threats and dangers (such as wars), it's geologically stable (almost no earthquakes), its climate is freezing (which is optimal for the preservation of seeds ). This seed bank is built deep into the mountain and high above sea level to withstand a nuclear attack or flooding, and is very well guarded.

entrance to Svalbard vault (Web picture)

The seeds (only original samples , not genetically modified ones) are stored behind many locked doors, in sealed air-tight packages put inside sealed plastic boxes. The conditions in this storage facility are monitored both electronically and physically.

boxes with stored seeds (Web picture)

There are some nice, interesting videos on YouTube taking us on a tour to the vault. Here's a short one:

No doubt, a seed bank is a smart concept, Svalbard Vault is a fascinating project. Yet, the whole idea of seed storage is quite thought-provoking. I can't help asking myself this: what if some elite group gets hold of the vault to dominate world's food supply? In case of a global nuclear disaster, what good would these undamaged seeds do if the soil and atmosphere are contaminated with radiation? Let's hope there won't be any nuclear disaster and nothing bad will happen to the vault either.

The Flea Market in Old Jaffa

No trip to a country would be complete without a visit to one of its Flea Markets. The Flea Market in old Jaffa, at walking distance from the clock tower square (see previous post), is one of the main attractions of the city, especially to those looking for bargains in antiques and second-hand treasures.

One can spend here several pleasant hours of walking around, exploring, enjoying the unique atmosphere, and having a bite in one of the eateries in the area. It is a great cultural and shopping experience

Before entering the market one should know some basics: here you pay mainly in cash; you have to beware of pickpockets; you can practice your barganing and haggling skills. The place also offers photography opportunities : capture of people , stuff, and curiosities; so bring your camera with you.

The little streets and alleys, east of the clock tower, are packed with merchandise : clothing, rugs, furniture, jewelery, tools, old books and records, toys - you name it they've got it. A lot of junk is displayed on some sidewalks.

If you come early in the day, you may get a good price as the vendor believes the sale will bring him luck through the day (and if it's Sunday - luck through the whole week).

Let's have a few pictures speak for themselves.

light fixtures

lace and clothes

judaica items and jewellery


woman mending a rug in front of her rugs shop

old pictures

second-hand furniture items

small tools

On my last visit to the Flea Market (about two weeks ago), I witnessed a bride and groom having their photo taken in front of a furniture store. Perhaps the shop is family owned and the couple wanted a memento with this location as background to some photos. Anyway, it was a rather cold day, but the bride wasn't shivering. She was happy and eager to follow the photographer's instructions. Love was in the air.

love is in the air

The Clock Tower Square

Jaffa, one of the oldest port cities in the world. . The tower clock square. I've been here many times, and yet it seems I never have enough of it. I'm attracted to this square by its location( near the Mediterranean sea, beach and promenade), its architecture (stone and arches: window arches, door arches, interior arches), a blend of the religious (mosque, church, synagogue) and the secular ( art galleries, eateries, shops) , and of course, the colorful Flea Market that occupies the narrow side streets that border the square (and which deserves a separate post). Despite the great number of local and foreign tourists visiting the place, an information center was opened only some six months ago?!

sea and promenade

Tourist Information Center

The turkish clock tower erected in 1906 and recently renovated, dominates the entire square. It has four clocks, one on each side; the openings and windows are covered with gratings. Across it, there' s the renovated Saraya (palace in turkish) building and its marble pillars. The Saraya used to be the residence of the turkish governor at the time of the otoman rule.

The turkish clock tower

clock tower and the Saraya with 4 marble pillars

The next point of attraction in the square, is the Abulafia Bakery , famous for its pretzels seasoned with zatar / sesame, and especially for its breads stuffed with mashed potatoes/mushrooms/cheese/boiled eggs/ onions/ olives.

The bakery stands on the same spot since 1879!!
The arab-israeli Abulafia family is also the owner of a reastaurant and a middle-eastern sweets patisserie shop - all on the same street.

The Abulafia Bakery


Pita Bread for sale

Margaret Tayar's fish -based restaurant with its attached terrace overlooking the sea, is a favorite place of gourmet people and celebrities, despite the simplicity of both the setting and the menu. Its specialty is stuffed sardines and north african salads. The food is cooked by the owner, herself.

Tayar's restaurant with its blue fish icon on top

And to conclude with some art, below's the painting of a naked woman.... at the very entrance of an art gallery . People stop in front of it to contemplate the nude, and then enter the gallery to look for more...

Art Gallery

Transnistria - The Unrecognized State

I have some strong personal reasons for wishing to visit this place, but I'm advised not to do so, as it's considered dangerous zone - result of its political instability.

If you look it up on the internet you'll come upon expressions such as "improbable state","break away country", 'phantom nation", "nobody's land", "the Cuba of Europe", "frozen conflict zone", "self proclaimed republic", "illegal state", "separatist region", "disputed sovereignity".

I must say, it all sounds quite intriguing and even....thrilling. Good stuff for writers and movie makers , especially with all those rumors about activities such as smuggling, drugs, arms and human traffic going on there. Besides, it is said to have excellent ...cognacs.

Transnistria, or more accurately, Transdniestria , a strip of land beyond the Dniester River, is bordered by two ex-USSR countries :Ukraine (east) and Moldova (west), On the map, its shape is that of a snake (see the top picture with the stamps), 400 km long, 20 km wide. There is indeed something 'snaky' and obscure about this territory and its history.

The capital city is Tiraspol ('Tyras' being the greek name for the river Dniester). Transnistria has a population of some half a million people and the languages spoken are russian, ukrainien, and moldovan (a dialect of romanian but spelt in cyrillic ,not latin script). Russian, is the official language of the government.

Transnistria and its borders (Web map)

De juro,Transnistria is part of Moldova; de facto, it is an independent state since 1990 , though not recognized as such internationally.

It should be mentioned that in summer 1941 , Transnistria, was conquered by German and Roumanian troops and its territory used as concentration camps for jews residents of north Romania and Ukraine. It was the land of atrocities against thousands of innocent people. This lasted until 1944 with the arrival of The Red Army.

Peace talks and negotiations have been going on and off since the brief war between Moldova and Transnistria in 1992, the participants being representatives of the relevant sides: Transnistria, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Eu. It seems nobody's in a hurry to solve the problem , the present situation probably suits their interests. Transnistria is pro-Russia and has russian military protection. Moldova is pro-Romania and pro-EU (European Union), and although she wants her honor and piece of territory back, the Transnistria issue might confront her with Big Mother Russia and interfere with her own aspirations of possible integration in the EU .

My wild guess is Tranistria snake will stay like this, and eventually be accepted by the UN and its members. Nowadays, a tiny , breakaway, independent country is no longer considered a curiosity .

Moreover, I think the future belongs to small countries with more or less homogenous population. We're ,perhaps, going to witness a fragmentation of the world's bigger countries into smaller entities as a result of the constantly deterioration of world economy and rising of social tension.

In the meantime, my advice to those participating in the peace talks is: keep talking people! "Talk more - No war" is my slogan .

Africatown in South Tel Aviv

The central bus station of Tel Aviv , considered the biggest or the second biggest passenger bus terminal in the world, is a huge complex dominating the southern part of the city. It has seven floors (three out of them used as bus terminals), entrances, bridges, excalators, elevators, shops, eating places. (I share the view of many people, that architecturally, this central station is badly designed and difficult to navigate).

exterior of the central bus station- partial view

The neigborhoods surrounding the central bus station are relatively crowded and poor. Here is where thousands (it started as hundreds, some four years ago) of africans from Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria and other african countries find refuge. They come through Egypt, travel along the Sinai desert and illegally cross the border entering Israel - tempted by the freedom and economic possibilities here.

Once in Israel, they call themselves 'asylum-seekers' and 'refugees' who have escaped persecution in their native countries. The local population , on the other hand, sees them as 'foreign workers', 'illegal immigrants', 'infiltrators'.

There's much tension in the air, and lately there have been serious demonstrations in the above mentioned neighborhoods; residents in these neighborhoods, alarmed by the increasing numbers of migrants and the social problems created by their presence, demanded the expelling of the later back to their continent or at least to the neighborhoods of those who employ them.

Anyhow, there are humanitarian organizations that help these foreigners in many ways. On one of the floors of the central bus station, for instance, there's a medical clinic offering them health services. They can also get legal advice given by volunteer lawyers.

waiting at the medical clinic for refugees

It's one thing to read about the african "invasion" in the newspapers or watch the phenomenon on TV, and another thing to experience it in reality. I visited the area several times in the last two weeks as I was interested in buying a sewing machine at an importer's shop located on the same street with the central bus station. Well, I felt like I was in an african town. It was a strange feeling, hard for me to define it.

cute park with jobless africans hanging around

bycicle - popular vehicle among the migrants

african shoe vendor and prospective buyers

.As long as there are shopopkeepers and other business owners or rich families willing to employ the africans - there's little or no chance that they will leave. So, one should better get used to the idea that in the future the city might have an african Mayor.

Of Beauty and Separation

My New Year 2012 has started with a positive, happy event . On the evening of January the first, I attended a 'Bar Mitzva' - a boy's 13th birthday celebration. Bar Mitzva means that the boy has reached the age of responsibility for his actions (from the jewish religious point of view).

The above event took place in a beautiful banquet-hall located in the city of Netanya. This israeli major city , on the Mediterranean Sea, is known for its fine beaches, limestone cliffs with gardens among them, long promenades facing the sea. Netanya , a center for tourism and for diamond trade, is rightly nicknamed "the diamond on the med".

tree and flower pot in front of the building

way to the Reception Hall

relaxation corner

It was cold and raining outside on that evening, but warm and colorful inside ,with beverages at the entrance bar and plenty of appetizers on tables lining the Reception Hall.

bar


appetizers

This was not an usual kind of occasion , the immediate family of the boy being religious (they became religious some 10-15 years ago), whereas many of the guests- secular.

In the Reception Hall we were together men and women, mingling, eating, chatting. However, in the dining/entertaining Hall, men and women got separated by a partition. It was a rather peculiar sight- that of men and women performing the activities of sitting , eating and dancing, separately. There was a male photographer for the men section and a female photographer for the women section.

The bar mitzva boy's two elder sisters drew a lot of attention. Even in Holywood it would be hard to find such beauties. One of them ,23, married and with 2- kids; the other one ,21, single. The beauty and grace of the two sisters, and that of a 12 year old blonde angelic- looking guest girl , "stole the show" from the bar mitzva boy and from everything else , and definitely brightened up the whole atmosphere.

the married sister with the two kids

the single sister with the two nephews

I would even dare say, the blonde little girl (accompanied by her grandmother), consciously or unconsciously, defied the religious atmosphere by taking off her coat and remaining in a non-modest dress (non- modest according to religious standards). None of the women present around her said anything about it or tried to cover her shoulders with a scarf.

G.mother and G.daughter dancing by the partition

Down by the Riverside

"Gonna lay down my burden/Down by the riverside/Down by the riverside/Down by the riverside......
I ain't goin' study war no more".

I was humming the melody of the above famous black gospel as I approached the Dambovita River which crosses the heart of Bucharest city (it goes from north-west to south-east along a distance of 22 Km). I stopped the humming when I reached the spot. How on earth does one get down by the river? it's all cement around here.

Dambovita river at Unirii Square

The legend has it that the city of Bucuresti (Bucharest) was named after the shepherd Bucur that lived on the banks of the river . Dambovita was the name of his fiancee, the daughter of a poor forest man, who had rejected the marriage proposal of a prince because of her love and loyalty for the shepherd . How very romantic!

The river, however, didn't seem romantic to me. Perhaps the cloudy day was to blame for that: the sky and water looked grey and gloomy. I contemplated it from the bridge (The river has sixteen[16!]) bridges). It flows through a cement canal built to prevent flooding. All the river's natural turns have been canalized throughout the years.

There's no navigation on the river, no boat tours. Despite pollution, the locals jump into its cool water during the hot days of summer; many of them even practice fishing. Last month, by the way, a catfish of 40 Kg and 1.5 m long, was captured in the Dambovita by some amateur fishermen. It was quite a sensation.

Trash in the water

There are guided walking tours covering the part of the river that crosses the center of Bucharest. The tour starts in the city center at Unirii Square and ends at the Opera Square. It lasts about 2 hours and 30 minutes. The tourists are shown buildings which either face the river or are close to the river, buildings that have played and still play an important role in the locals' life such as: Manuc's Inn, The Palace of Justice, House of the People (the Parliament), The Opera House, and many other landmarks.

The Palace of Justice

The above palace has six statues near the entrance, allegoricaly symbolizing:
Law, Truth, Strength, Justice, Righteousness, Prudence.

The Victory Avenue

Victory Avenue (Calea Victoriei) is perhaps the most representative street of Bucharest; it's one of the city's oldest , longest (about 3 Km) and most interesting streets; it runs between two major squares: Victoria Square in the north and close to Unirii Square in the south.

The northern part of the street has beautiful houses and palaces, the southern part is more comercial and includes shops, banks, hotels, restaurants, cafes. So, it is recommended that you start your stroll in the northern part, and when you reach the southern part you're ready to relax and treat yourself to a good meal or a coffee and cake at one of the restaurants/ cafes in the area. You deserve it.

A walk along Calea Victoriei is a good lesson both in architecture and history.
The buildings here are a mixture of neocclassical style architecture and communist era structures. Many buildings bear the following little sign which reads:' Historical Monument' (Monument Istoric) offering details in three languages: romanian, english, french.

sign on outer wall : Historical Monument

Here are a few buildings and monuments of interest:

Cantacuzino Palace which houses the George Enescu Museum of music. George Enescu was Romania's greatest composer and he was married to a widow from the Cantacuzino family. The museum is dedicated to his life and music. It displays documents and objects belonging to him, among them his first violin he got at the age of four(4).

'George Enescu' Museum in Cantacuzino Palace

The CEC Palace whose building was completed in 1900, serves as headquarters of the national savings bank. This impressive palace is not open to customers.
The daily banking activity takes place in an adjacent building.

CEC Palace

CEC Bank

Military National Club (Cercul Militar National) - This palace was built in 1912 on the spot of former Sarindar monastery. It has reception halls, a library, conference rooms, performance hall, a book shop, a restaurant. Most of the building is reserved for the social and cultural needs of the army people. In front of the palace there's a fountain .

Military Club

Odeon Theatre- one of the best and most elegant theatres in Bucharest. It is located in a tiny square between Majestic Hotel building and an appartement building.
In front of the theater there's a water fountain and a statue of the turkish figure of Kemal Ataturk.

Odeon Theatre

The Monument of the Rebirth - in Revolution Square ( In the same square there's also the rebuilt equestrian statue of King Carol 1 - see top picture). It's a white marble triangle which commemorates the victims of the 1989 revolution and it symbolizes freedom rising up through a dark cloud. It was here in Revolution Square , on the balcony above the entrance to the former Central Commitee that dictator Ceausescu held his last speech.

Monument of the Rebirth

This memorial is controversial to this day. The citizens of Bucharest are not happy with its design and refer to it as the " olive on a toothpick", "potato on a stick", "meatball on a spike", etc..
It would appear that the revolution that killed Ceausescu, also "killed" the designer of the monument.