The Unsolved Mystery

 

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Nine years ago, on March 2014, the Malaysian plane MH370 disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur airport (Malaysia) to Beijing  airport  (China).   Over the years, there were many theories  about the disappearance.

 The most 'popular'  theory was that of the pilot's plan to commit suicide and take the plane with its passengers and crew  ( 239 people)  down with him.  The second 'popular' theory was that the plane, a huge Boeing 777,  was carrying something or someone, that  a certain factor wanted gone and never to be found.

Since 2014, there have been  some three major very expensive searches, and three main countries involved: Malaysia, Australia (the plane was believed to have dissappeared close to  her area),  and China (most of the passengers - 153 - were chinese).   Nothing conclusive. Some examined debris found  in the Indian Ocean and other areas,  gave no indication as to the location of the missing plane.

Now, we are being told by aviation experts that the mystery could be solved in a matter of days with the help of advanced technology. They propose a new search based on the belief  that the plane was hijacked and deliberately downed into the ocean  ( in fact, that  resembles the theory with the pilot's suicidal plan).

The missing MH370 has captivated my attention for many months. It's sadly, one of the best mystery stories ever!  I do want the plane to be found,  as this will bring some closure and comfort to the families of the victims, and on the way, will satisfy our curiosity.

Red Sea Crossing

 

The Red Sea , located between Asia and Africa continents, is in the news.   Cargo ships are being attacked by the Houthis, yemenite rebels (at least 17 incidents from November). This could disrupt global supply, leading to economic chaos and shortage of products.

The news take us back to the well-known Bible story in Exodus chapters 14, 15, about the spectacular miracle of parting the water and enabling the Israelites that fled from Egyptian slavery,  a safe crossing of the sea.

Moses, who led the Israelites from Egypt to the Red Sea, stretched his hand out over the sea, and God caused a wind that parted the waters creating dry land. When the israelites were safe on the other side, Moses, at God's command, stretched out his hand again, and the waters returned,  covering  completely the Egyptian hostile army. 

I suppose there will be some sort of miracle this time too,  and the Houthis will learn their lesson; one doesn't mess up with things of Biblical origin:)

It is believed The Red Sea got its name due to a bacteria that lives in its waters and is responsible for their  occasional reddish tint .

Major ports along this sea are: Suez (Egypt), Sharm El Sheik  (Egypt), Jedda (Saudi Arabia), Port of Sudan (Sudan), Mocha (Yemen),  Port of Aden (Yemen),  Aqaba (Jordan), Eilat (Israel).

Many years ago,  I attended a trip to the Sinai Desert;  the trip also included  a brief visit to the Red Sea port of Sharm El Sheik. Fascinating place! 

                           me, enjoying the sea views at Sharm El Sheik

Open-air Art

There's a pedestrian street, part of a road running paralel to our municipality building,  which hosts a constant display of art works created by local artists. The place also has benches, trees, flower beds and grass,  for people to sit and enjoy art in nature.

I  am not always free to stop and contemplate these works of art.  Pity, as they get replaced by new ones, from time to time, and I miss enjoying some good stuff.

Last time,  I was impressed  by three such works:   the statue of a pony,   the statue of two elders  playing chess (long table between them),  and that of a young woman exercising:

Works of art placed outdoors bring a lot of pleasure to the wide public. I'm sure  artists get great satisfaction from that;  it even  helps them ignore the fact that nature's  elements (rain,  wind, sun) and/or wicked people, might somehow  damage their creation. 

Outdoor art is definitely a meaningful experience both for the artist and the public.

Hanukah (7 Dec. - 15 Dec.)

 

Hanukah is supposed to be a  happy holiday.  Apparently, not this year.

With a massacre in the background and a war still going on, there's no joy on faces and in the hearts of people here. There's sorrow, sadness, and fear of upcoming events.

Things associated with Hanukah  (lighting of candles in the menorah  candle holder, dreidel spinning game , eating of favorite foods such as donuts, and potato pancakes ) are mostly done almost automatically now,  to please the children and carry on with the tradition.

Hanukah is referred to as  'the Festival of lights'.  Light (freedom) as opposed to darkness (oppression) is its theme.  It is said to celebrate a miracle - a tiny jar of oil lasting  for eight days;  (hence the belief that looking into the light of the Menorah  burning candles,  can give one better vision and make  a miracle  for those with impaired eyesight).

dreidel (sevivon)

donuts (sufganiot)

potato pancakes (latkes)

Here's a  Youtube  classic Hanukah  song:

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Pigeons

 

The other day, I happened to be in one of the main squares of Petach- Tikva city ( The "founders square").  I was totally stunned by the sight of  about a hundred dark pigeons flocked there.  It looked rather ominous.

Usually, pigeons are attracted by food, but no food here as there's a big white sign (see in the picture below) that forbids feeding them. Perhaps, it's the place itself that attracts them and,  for some reason, makes them feel safe and comfortable. 

They were gathered especially around a small stucture with a dome. I wished to approach the stucture, but  was afraid of their reaction -  mass flying over my head.  It was midday;  I saw no people or kids  close to their area.

Anyway,  I've noticed  some lovely art on the fence surrounding the square : statues of a musical band members.   Nice, enjoyable view  for the pigeons too:)

                     pigeons gathered   around  a  structure with a dome

statues of a music band

                                                                     dancers

After the encounter with the pigeons in the 'founder square', I promised myself to read and learn more about these birds and their behaviour.

Till 120 ?!

 Longevity is advancing slowly but steadily. Hentry Kissinger (RIP) has recently died at 100. Many people in the world (especially in Japan) died at a similar age, even a few  years beyond that.

According to science, the average person's DNA is programmed to about 120 years.

The Bible mentions 120 in Genesis 6:3.  In Hebrew there's a blessing which says  " May you live until 120" ( ad meah ve essrim!).

According to Wikipedia , the french woman Jeanne Calment (1875-1997) is the oldest  documented person who ever lived. She made it to 122 despite smoking everyday for 96 years. She lived on her own until age 110 when she moved into a nursing home.  Amazing!

Following , are two  women  aged 119: the american Sara Knauss and the japanese Kane Tanaka ; both died in 2022.  Kane Tanaka had several major ilnesses during her life including cancer at 45, and at 103; underwent surgery, and.. survived.

We think we know and understand the secret of longevity. We don't.   It's very complex; it involves luck, genetics, wisdom, health care, diet , life style, character.   In Kissinger's case, he had a younger  and very intelligent wife; that must have helped his longevity too:)

The important part in any research on longevity is  expanding the  health span rather than life span. If the consequence is a longer life then, that's  a nice bonus.

Lucky Bamboo ( Dracaena Sanderiana )

I've mentioned the above indoor plant in some previous posts. 

I must confess, I'm greatly attached to it as I believe it kind of protects me.  When one of its leaves gets yellow, I panic. "Here goes my protection"  I say to myself. No kidding.

I've discovered this plant while reading and trying to learn about Feng Shui - chinese tradition of creating a balanced, harmonious environment that will attract to it good energies promoting Health, Wealth,  Luck, and Love.

The gracious (towering stalks, delicate leaves) lucky bamboo plant is my favorite Feng Shui item. It is believed  to purify the room air and introduce positive vibes into the house.

 It can be grown in soil or water. I prefer  to grow it in a bowl with water and pebbles to stabilize it.

It requires minimal care: water (distilled) once a week, moderate light, moderate room temperature. It can be propagated through stalk cuttings and through its leaves, but that takes time.

This decorative plant can be offered , in a nice container, as a gift; it can even be sold at a small profit, especially if it's a specific arrangement of stalks.

I've got some 30 individual such plants and don't wish to lose any of them. On the contrary, I wish to buy some more, but they are imported and rather expensive here.

Autumn Leaves

 

A lot has been written  in blogs  and elsewhere about Autumn ( Sept 1 - Nov.30). There's description of change in color, falling leaves,  drop in temperature, animals preparing for winter hibernation,  migration of birds in search of food,  autumn holidays etc..

Autumn always reminds me of the famous song the  'Falling Leaves' (in french the 'Dead Leaves'),  and  of the famous singers performing  it, among them: Ives Montagne (in french), Nat King Cole, Andy Williams,  Frank Sinatra (in english).

The musical versions of this song on Youtube are not very  good , I'm afraid.  The lyrics are beautiful and even worth memorizing.  It' s a romantic song mentioning color (red and gold),  the departing summer, the approaching winter,  the falling leaves that make the singer miss his darling.

Here are the lyrics:

The falling leaves, drift by the window  /The autumn leaves of red and gold

I see your lips the summer kisses / The sunburnt hands I used to hold

Since you went away, the days grow long

And soon I'll hear old winter's song

But I miss you most of all, my darling

When autumn leaves start to fall.

Nat King Cole

Globalization - the world interacting together

1.   We asked for it (globalization), and we got it. What happens in one corner  of the world, affects life in the remaining corners.

Ukraine, Gaza, and other places, are daily  'on the table'   everywhere in the world through protests, violence, rise in prices, danger of nuclear war , etc... 

To all those who roll their eyes up and mention 'innocent' people - please be aware that there are no innocent people. We are all sinners, big sinners:  wicked, evil, conceited, stupid, greedy, cruel, and... the list is long.

Israel sees herself as part of the western world, imitates everything western, including use of foreign labor in vital fields: agriculture, industry, services.   Foreign work has its advantages and disadvantages, but in our case it also poses security risks.

Israel has probably employed  arabs  from Gaza, at the border settlements where  the 7h of October slaughtering took place. I suppose those  workers have  taken shots of each house, garden,  path, lane , event, and submitted the info  to the Hamas  terrorists prior to the ferocious attack.

2.   In a previous post, I mentioned my theory that globalization is a challenge on God's  diverse world order.  Hence, natural  disasters have intensified since the increase of Globalization processes (during the  last decades) which seek to make the world one big place with interconnected cultures and economies.

It seems Climate Change is not going to have any mercy on us. We cannot prevent the disasters even if we make all the proper ecological efforts;     it's in God 's hands,  and God is furious at us for constantly violating His world Creation in the name of progress and evolution. 

Rhodium

 

It seems people (not me) are back to investments in gold and other precious metals  to minimize the risks of inflation, and for other various reasons.  

I've recently learnt,  about a very rare and expensive metal - rhodium.  Its symbol on the periodic table of elements is Rh and its atomic number 45.   It is used  in industry  primarily as an agent of  hardening, increase  of resistance to corrosion, and reflectivity.

Rhodium is much more expensive than the other known precious metals (gold, titanium, silver) because of its rarity. It cannot be mined on its own; it's a by product of titanium mining. The main country source for rhodium is South Africa.

The name 'rhodium'  has been brought up , the other day, in a discussion on plated jewelry.   Rhodium is used to coat mainly white gold and or platinum jewlery to give it durability and improve its brightness.

I've got no plated jewlery at all, so I'm not familiar with the process. I do own  a few personal jewlery pieces made of gold, silver, titanium of various karat values, but these pieces are not coated with some other metal for protection  and shine.

They say, that unlike nickel, this silver-white metal rhodium, has no allergenes, so the plating is hypoallergenic. When added to a white gold ring with a diamond, it enhances the brilliance of the diamond.

Anyway, rhodium is not for people with modest means. It's too expensive, but like anything found in nature,  'rhodium' is an interesting  topic, and not only to those looking for metal investment or jewelry plating  (I'm not looking for either).

'Optician Puzzle'

 

Whenever in the neighbouring town,  I used to pass by a small optical shop and peep inside. The guy  there,  was a familiar face from childhood. I went to the same school class with his elder brother, so I hoped perhaps to see the brother there one day, or enter to ask about his whereabouts.  Neither of it has happened.

During the last two years I noticed the complete absence in the shop,  of his wife , the optician. I became curious. Something seemed wrong. One day, several weeks ago,  when there was no customer inside , I plucked up the courage and entered. I introduced myself, we talked about this and that, I asked about the brother, and then about his wife.

 Oh, he said, she's at home with the grandkids;  no need for her to be here.  I do it all. You?!   How come?! Are you an optician too? No. Have you taken any courses in optics, optometrics, something professional? No.   So?!!  Well, I've learnt it all from her, from customers , from life.  I was in  shock.  He actually admitted to be some kind of a pretender.

I suppose he does a lot of work, but not all of it, as she might lose her licence of optician/optometrist. My theory is that whenever a big problem arises, or there's a potential, serious customer, the husband gives her a call and she comes immediately as they live quite near the  business.

Anyway, I've changed my route since then, so that I won't be tempted to face him and his story again.  In a way, I feel some strange 'appreciation'  for his ability  and 'talent' to do the job of an optician without being one.  I feel much less appreciative of his wife for cooperating with this deceptive practice.

Mementos

 

When I visit a new  country, one of my favorite types of shopping is buying,  some piece of clothing with the name , map , or some icon of the place , printed on it. I have no intention of wearing the piece, just keep it as a memento.

From Moscow, (visited in 2015), I've got three cotton shirts . Two of them (one black, one blue) have the map of the Metro in the middle, under the russian name of the city 'Mockba'  ( I was very impressed with the city's Metro system). 

blue shirt with Metro map

The front of  the third shirt, a white one, has the CCCP letters which stand for USSR  - an abbreviation of Soviet Union Socialist Republics.   In addition , under CCCP,  it has the symbol  of hammer & sickle representing proletarian solidarity between agricultural and industrial workers (adopted at the russian Revolution at te end of world War 2. 

The back of the shirt is covered with  the hymn of the Soviet Union in russian language.

front

back  -  lyrics  of the hymn

In October 2016, I visited the greek island of Crete .I bought a white cotton cap and a black fine cotton shirt with the name  Crete on both items.  The little white cap has , in addition,  a tiny, delicate map of the island.  Now,  autumn 2023, I wear that for the first time and  feel good with the outfit.

One of the advantages of age is that you don't care about what people might think or say. So, there's a name or map there. Big deal.

By the way, I liked everything about Crete, so much so, that I even considered getting myself a small living unit and try life there for a year or two.  Even now I'm inclined to do that; however, islands , in these days of climate change, are a scary option.

Crete-   top and cap

Reflection...

Our High  Holidays are over; War is still going on.

The  Holidays have made me a bit reflective. Here it is:

'We come into this world alone and  depart from it alone, although on both occasions, birth and death, there are people around us.

During our lifetime, we ignore this 'alone'  thing,  by making friends and starting families. In addition, we have holidays that celebrate Life in all its aspects, with good food and especially with warm human gatherings.  

Our most important jewish Day, though, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is not a celebration . This is a solemn  day which allows us, through fasting and praying,  to repent for our sins and ask forgiveness.  As a result, we might get a good new year, and with every new good year  our soul's journey: birth - life- death,  becomes a meaningful one, not just something 'gone with the wind'.

We all go through the same process and journey regardless of our achievements or failures .  This should make us more modest and kind to each other. Unfortunately, it does not. 'Conflict' is the name of the game. 'Wickedness' gets to be discovered even among our best friends and  closest relatives, causing us great distress.  

In our prayers, we ask and hope for our soul to go to Heaven when life ends; our  body gets burried, upon our death, into the earth, like all  other animals.

Life is everything; we should value and cherish it.  We should not take it for granted. Belief in God helps us be good, behave better, save life.

Break From Blogging

 

I'm taking a break from blogging  to prepare for and welcome our High Holidays  which are:   New Year (Rosh Hashana) , Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and  - the less solemn, more joyous 'agricultural' holiday of Sukkot  (dwelling in the sukkah,  celebrating Harvest).

Last but not least, Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Tora (celebrating the love for the Thorah : the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) by parading and dancing with it.

Yom Kippur (the day of Atonement) is the holiest day on the jewish calendar -  a day of Awe,  of Fasting, Praying, Remembering our departed  loved ones, seeking Forgiveness from God and our fellows.  It's a day that requires both physical and spiritual efforts.

Wishing you the very Best!      God willing, I'll hopefully resume blogging by mid - end of October.

Ayurveda

I 've mentioned more than once the fact that I like the quality of certain categories of items produced in India: fabrics, clothing, kitchenware, decorations.  Most of all, I like their ayurvedic bar soaps.

The ayurvedic soaps are  based on the Ayurveda traditional medical system originating in India, and  practiced in India and Nepal.

The basic principle of Ayurveda is both  to prevent and treat illness by creating balance  between body, mind and environment. It does so by using products, mainly (but not only), derived from plants, in combination with other well-known wellness factors such as diet and exercise.

There's quite a  variety of ayurvedic hand bar soaps to be found in Health  Stores. The stuff is imported, and thus not cheap. Most of them are handmade, and enriched with  oils derived from the Tulsi (holy basil) and Neem plants. 

They usually come  in standard size and mini size (fit for travel).  People buy them for their anti- bacterial /anti-fungal properties, and also to treat certain bad skin conditions.

My favorite brand is called Medimix. It is said to be enriched with 18 herbs and some natural oils.  I use liquid soap as well, but  I won't give this bar soap up as I like its texture and scent. 

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