Foto Friday – Parks, Recreation and Firefighting
Filed under: Environment, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Picture of the Week, Travel
It’s only Friday and already Sunday’s massive forest fire has all but disappeared from the headlines. To recap: about 450 acres of forest (this figure according to the Keren Kayemet Leyisrael -Jewish National Fund) in the Ora-Aminadav area went up in flames.
The fire started at two separate points. 100 KKL-JNR staff, nine fire trucks and five firefighting aircraft participated in the extensive operation. The fire spread towards nearby Hadassah Hospital where 23 vehicles in the hospital parking area were burned.
Roads were blocked for hours and some Ora and Aminadav residents were evacuated but returned during the night after the fire was successfully controlled and put out. All in all, it could have been much worse. One month earlier on June 29, the country experienced its most severe wave of fires since 2008. Which was the worst since 2006. And so on.
Like many arid regions, Israel’s hot, dry summer weather is an easy target for wildfires set both by accident and on purpose. KKL-JNF has become increasingly vigilant about protecting Israel’s forests, stating that it invests more than $5 million annually in fighting forest and field fires. This includes maintenance and operation of 22 firefighting vehicles with off-road capabilities, dozens of fire fighters on duty 24/7, communications systems and 30 fire watchtowers — also manned ’round the clock.
KKL-JNF also operates a forest fire risk forecast service, co-manages an aerial firefighting fund, conducts forest fire investigations and implements their conclusions. Because afforestation is what they do. Over the past 100-plus years, KKL-JNF has planted more than 200 million trees covering over 225,000 acres of land. So there is every hope that the Aminadav trail – seen here in its pre-fire state – will be that way again one day.
In addition to planting trees and protecting them from fire, KKL-JNF also develops regional parks and recreation areas, restores historical sites, rehabilitates springs and rivers, and builds roads and trails for hiking and biking. If you can’t get to Israel right away, there’s plenty to see on their YouTube channel, like this movie about the Ilanot Forest, a wheelchair accessible park and “Tree Museum”.
Foto Friday – Miss Kaplan Loves Tel Aviv
Filed under: Art, design, Foto Friday, General, Holidays, Life, Picture of the Week, Pop Culture, Profiles, Travel
Natalie Kaplan sees things a little differently. Given that she’s an cartoon series scriptwriter, it’s only right that she has the ability to animate found objects and imbue each one with life, history and — through their titles — humor.
Happy Face
Working under the nom de plume Miss Kaplan, she wanders the streets of Tel Aviv, seeking and finding vignettes she likes. Or loves. “I fell in love,” she writes, “with that wooden wall. and i fell in love with the backyard of that wooden wall.”
I Fell In Love
Tu B’Av, the so-called “Jewish Valentine’s Day”, seems the perfect time for celebrating the love Miss Kaplan sees all around in Tel Aviv. Sometimes it’s right in front of you…
Lovely Mailboxes
Sometimes it needs to be coaxed out gently… She calls this one, Will u stop hiding?
But always look on the positive side… this one is called Half Full
And you can find love even in the most unexpected places. It Touched My Heart, she says.
Read more about Natalie Kaplan at Mint Magazine or visit her Flickr photostream for more Tel Aviv Magic.
Nostalgia Sunday – Jerusalem the Center
Filed under: Art, General, History and Culture, Holidays, Life, Nostalgia Sunday, Religion, Travel
Jerusalem is central to Judaism. And no day is that fact made more evident than Tisha b’Av, the Ninth of Av, the day on which both the First and Second Temples were destroyed and the Jews exiled. It is a day of fasting and mourning, but also of study, prayer and hope that Jerusalem will one day be truly rebuilt and the Jews returned to their ancient homeland.
To mark the upcoming holy day, here are some pictures of Jerusalem, ancient and modern, courtesy of the excellent Jerusalem Shots website.
© trionfo
© RomKri
© trionfo
© Misha Burlatsky
© G. Eric and Edith Matson
© RomKri
© trionfo
© Олег Велобегов
Foto Friday – Greenpeace vs Coal Power
Filed under: Environment, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Picture of the Week, Politics, Technology
Greenpeace has been stepping up its activity against coal-fired power stations, coal still being the prevalent form of fuel for electric power generation in Israel. Yesterday, eight Greenpeace activists were arrested upon infiltrating the grounds of the Hadera power plant. The eight — comprising Israeli and foreign nationals — entered the plant via the sea.
This follows an action taken earlier this month, when Greenpeace activists boarded a coal ship, the Orient Venus, en route from South Africa to Israel and attempted to block it from docking at the Hadera power plant.
The three persons who hung the “Coal kills” banner were arrested but later released.
According to the Associated Press yesterday, “Israeli police said six of the activists were arrested on the coal dock.”
“Greenpeace said nine more activists were arrested after their “Rainbow Warrior” boat reached the Haifa port in northern Israel for inspection by Israeli authorities.”
Greenpeace opposes Israel’s plans to build a new coal-fueled power plant off the coast of Ashkelon so stay tuned for more news items about dramatic actions like these.
Foto Friday – Guide Dog Center
Filed under: education, Foto Friday, General, health, History and Culture, Life, Picture of the Week, Profiles
Israel has over 27,000 registered blind people, although unofficial estimates place this figure much higher. Of these, about 250 are guide dog assisted, but this number is growing steadily thanks to the efforts of the The Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind.
The Center’s mission is “to improve the quality of life of blind people by providing them with safe mobility, independence and self-confidence through the faithful assistance of guide dogs”.
The Center fulfills a vast need for guide dogs trained to respond to Hebrew commands. For many years, guide dogs were a rarity in Israel. Blind Israelis could be sent to guide dog schools in the US but only those with good English were able to benefit, and follow-up services — so essential to a successful blind person-dog “partnership”– were unavailable.
All this began to change in 1991 with the Center’s founding. The dogs — and their masters – are trained in Hebrew. Dogs are trained to guide in Israel’s physical environment “and maneuver around typically Israeli obstacles such as bus-stand posts or streetlights in the middle of sidewalks; concrete barriers at street corners or cars parked half on the sidewalk and half on the road.” (They said it, not me: typically Israeli!). And of course, aftercare assistance is just a phone call away.
The Center’s preferred breeds are Labradors, Golden Retrievers and their first-crosses, as these are highly trainable, responsive, intelligent and have calm temperaments. But there are German Shepherds as well. You can read more about the training process here.
Over the years, the Center has gone from strength to strength, and recently purchased a property adjacent to the existing campus for a planned expansion in an effort to keep up with the growing demand for “partnerships”. They valuable work they do has been recognized by officials such as President Shimon Peres, who received a group of volunteer trainers and dogs at the his residence.
The Center is funded by donors and is happy to welcome visitors at its campus at Beit Oved, 20 minutes out of Tel Aviv. There is a Mitzva Club for group fundraising and a Puppy Sponsorship program to assist in raising the dogs in their first year ($500 includes all of their food, toys and immunizations).
In addition, the Center’s Tandem Bike Team joins blind riders together with sighted partners for on and off-road adventures in different parts of Israel almost every weekend.
They’ll be holding a special ride from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv on September 29 and 30, 2010 – including a visit to the Center. Click here for information and to learn more about this good cause.
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