Lucky For Some

Green Fingers for a Lucky Bamboo

We’d only just arrived in Karmiel and our delightful white-walled flat was almost bare.

How could I begin to cheer it up before our shipment arrived from the U.K.?

A florist in Rabin named “Bucket” (yeah, it took me a couple of weeks to work it out!) came to the rescue with a pretty miniature ‘Lucky Bamboo’ decorated with pebbles in an attractive dark pink glass pot.

But only a few weeks later, the lovely leaves began to yellow. Had the plant had too much sun? No. It sits in a shady spot on the breakfast bar.

Had it been overwatered? I don’t think so.

However, it had been watered with ordinary tap water and I should have used the spring or filtered variety.

Now read the experts:

“As millions of "lucky" consumers around the world have discovered, Lucky Bamboo makes the perfect house or office plant.

“It needs little care - only about an inch of water and little direct sunlight to keep it happy and thriving...

“What is ‘Lucky Bamboo’?

“Known for centuries as Lucky Bamboo, the plant is not a bamboo  (botanical name: Dracaena) but a resilient member of the lily family that grows in the dark, tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia and Africa.

“How Much Care Does Lucky Bamboo Need?

“Keep water fresh by changing it every week, and always keep water levels at approximately an inch from the base of the canes. Lucky Bamboo prefers plenty of indirect sunlight and room temperatures at 65-70^o.

“Although opinions differ on feeding, your Lucky Bamboo is a living organism, so it makes sense to  add a mild solution to the water occasionally such as African Violet fertilizer. Since growth can be controlled by feeding, small amounts of fertilizer will keep the plant at a manageable size.

“Why Are the Leaves Turning Yellow?

Two of the most common factors are:

“1.) Too much direct sunlight

“2.) Too salty or heavily-fluoridated tap water. Give your new Lucky Bamboo a thriving start be sure to keep it away from direct sunlight, and water only with filtered or natural spring water.

“Why Is It Called "Lucky" Bamboo?

“Along with its ease of growth, Lucky Bamboo has long been associated with the Eastern practice of Feng Shui - or the bringing of natural elements of water, fire, earth, wood and metal into balance within the environment. Lucky Bamboo is believed to be an ideal example of the thriving wood and water element, with the addition of a red ribbon sometimes tied around the stalks - which is believed to "fire" the positive flow of energy or chi in the room.

“The number of stalks also has meaning : three stalks for happiness; five stalks for wealth; six stalks for health. Four stalks, however, are always avoided since the word "four" in Chinese sounds too similar to the Chinese word for "death"!

“Can I Take Cuttings from Lucky Bamboo?

“Yes. New stalks can be propagated from the original plant by using a sharp knife to cut through a stalk - just below the joint. Place the cutting in fresh, clean water. A fine mist spray to stalks is sometimes suggested to stimulate new bud growth.

“How Do I Re-pot Bamboo?

“Like any other houseplant, Lucky Bamboo can be transferred to a vase or pot two inches larger than the original, or planted permanently into a loose sand or soil mixture that provides lots of bottom drainage. To avoid root rot, be careful to let the top of the soil dry out between waterings.

Technorati Tags: Lucky Bamboo,Dracaena,Lily Karmiel,Rabin,'Bucket',Feng Shui,Plant Care Instructions,Cuttings,Re-Potting

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My Neighbourhood Named For Yitzhak Rabin

The original name for my neighbourhood in Karmiel was a very flowery

" רמת טללים" - 'Dewy Heights'. 

It was changed to 'Ramat Rabin' after the assassination 15 years ago, of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin. The Hebrew calendar date of his death - 12 Cheshvan 5756 -  was marked earlier this week while the secular  anniversary is 04 November.

 

Rabin's official portrait will feature on the home pages of the entire 'Perfectlywrite' series, up to and including the secular anniversary of his passing.

Meanwhile, our elegant,  modern neighbourhood began life in 1998 with a target population of 10,000. Twelve years on, it has become one of the most sought-after areas in this beautiful north Galilean city and building, much of it clad in imitation of traditional 'oolite' ('Jerusalem stone'), continues even as I write.

At the official memorial ceremony for Rabin held at Mount Herzl, Jerusalem earlier this week, President Shimon Peres - once Rabin's co-Prime Minister - called for differences to be solved democratically.

He also eulogised the assassinated Nobel Peace Prize laureate, commemorating his contribution to the nation and the untimely nature of his death.

"We will not forget that you were murdered. You were murdered by an evil man who planned to kill the nation's spirit," Peres said, addressing Rabin.

"Your legacy, Yitzhak, was the contribution of a statesman truly leading  a nation: not to look back in rage, but forward with faith. You earned the faith of a nation".

On Tuesday night, several thousand youngsters gathered at Tel Aviv’s Kikar Rabin to take part in a memorial ceremony organized by the Israel Scouts to mark the 15th anniversary of the assassination.

Speaking at his official residence (Beit Hanassi), Peres lit a memorial candle at a ceremony known as Ner Yitzhak ('Light of Yitzhak'), commenting that it was a candle dedicated to peace, to a promise whose flame would never be extinguished.

Yitzhak Rabin Fact File:

  Yitzhak Rabin (1922- 1995) was an Israeli politician and general and the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–1977 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995. In 1994, Rabin won the Nobel Peace Prize together with Shimon Peres and PLO leader,Yasser Arafat.

On November 4, 1995 Rabin was shot to death by a Jewish assassin, at the end of a mass demonstration in Kikar Malchei Yisrael in Tel Aviv in support of the peace process.

There will be those reading this piece who refuse - all differences considered - to be 'dewy eyed' about Israel's heroes - indeed those of any state.

They will say, quite understandably, that Rabin was as much a man of war as peace and that at the time of the first Palestinian Intifada, he threatened to quell the unrest with 'force, beatings and might' or as another story has it: "We will break their bones."

However, his wife, Leah Rabin, insisted in her memoir, Rabin - Our Life, His Legacy that he never said it. Other versions claim that Rabin made the statement in order to encourage soldiers to refrain from shooting at stone-throwing Palestinians.

But whatever happened during the 1980s, by the time of his assassination, Rabin had all the  hallmarks of a man of peace. Since his death, it may be argued that, as is common in such circumstances, an almost unhealthy aura of sanctity has developed around his memory. But the week of his yahrzeit (Hebrew memorial) may not be the time to investigate.

 

Technorati Tags: Karmiel,'Dewy Heights',Ramat Rabin,Yitzhak Rabin,Jerusalem Stone,Shimon Peres,Nobel Peace Prize,Israel Scouts,Ner Yitzhak,Leah Rabin,First Intifada,Yasser Arafat

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‘Eat Pork and Save the Planet’!

It seems that where life  in the U.K.doesn’t get darker, it get dafter.

The Daily Telegraph reported today that the Foods Standards Agency has published an edict proposing to save the planet with increased consumption of pork, eggs, yogurt and beer.

Now read on:

“Diets should change to help the planet with beef replaced by pork, cheese by eggs, ice-cream by yoghurt and whisky by beer, according to research for the Food Standards Agency.

Photo: ALAMY

“Eating less beef, sugar, and cheese, as well as drinking less tea and coffee, were recommended, as well as eating more pulses and cereals

“Scientists from the University of East Anglia analysed existing data on the nutritional and environmental effects of different kinds of foods.

“Eating less beef, sugar, and cheese, as well as drinking less tea and coffee, were recommended, as well as eating more pulses and cereals.

“Other recommendations included eating more seasonal produce to reduce transportation and switching to microwave ovens and pressure cookers to use less energy in preparing food.

“The report suggests that schools, hospitals and other public bodies should be expected to lead a change in national behaviour by putting food on their menus which has contributed little to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“The report noted: "The highest GHG emissions are associated with beef, cheese, coffee, tea and cocoa consumption."

“It continued: "The way we as a society, and as individuals, choose to mitigate climate change as regards food, will also alter the way we eat."

“UEA was at the centre of allegations last year that it had manipulated climate change data to magnify the problem.

“Its report, called Food and Climate Change, could raise opposition among those who enjoy eating produce from around the world at any time of the year.

“However, the recommendations will be welcomed by vegetarian campaigners and those who support organic farming, which is recognised in the study as producing food that is lowest in harmful emissions.

“A spokesman for the National Farmers' Union said: 'It is simply not true that fruit and vegetables are a better climate option than meat and milk. You have to look at how these crops are produced in terms of the energy used for growing and transport."

“The report was commissioned by the Food Standards Agency to try to change the way people cook and eat”.

Related Article - Smell of bacon offends Muslims – not to mention Jews and vegetarians – but we’ve long since learned to put up and shut up! By the way, I think someone should advise the gurus at the FSA that pork is neither kosher nor vegetarian while eggs and yogurt (unless the yogurt be made from soya) do not suit a vegan lifestyle. Oh, dear!

Technorati Tags: Food Standards Authority,edict,bacon,pork,vegetarian,Muslims,Jews,climate change,National Farmers' Union

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My Brother’s On The Mend!

My Shabbat (weekend) was kick-started by an outstandingly good piece of  news. I spoke to my brother yesterday!

Julian, who as many of you are aware, was severely injured in a traffic accident near his Ramot Bet, Jerusalem home on Monday 06 September, was able to enjoy a full telephone conversation and even mentioned recuperating at home within the foreseeable future.

He has been at the Ein Kerem Hadassah Hospital since the accident, which happened when a woman drove through a red light on Golda Meir Avenue, crashing into a moving van.The driver of the van lost control of the vehicle and drove onto a traffic island where Julian and several other people were standing.

Now it’s time to thank the scores of people – close relatives, friends, warm acquaintances from the U.K. and the United States as well as Israel  – even shocked strangers and my virtual friends on ‘Facebook’! - who all offered prayers, good wishes and on-going encouragement when they heard the  news.

It would be invidious to single out people by name, instead I’ll mention organisations, communities and their leaders: So, in no particular order, on behalf of the family I offer more thanks than I can express to:

• Prof. Charles Sprung and his team at the Intensive Care Unit, Ein Kerem Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem.
• Julian’s devoted friends from the synagogue near his home in Jerusalem led by Rabbi Kannai.
• My  own congregation, Kehillat Hakerem in Karmiel where regular prayers were offered by Rabbi Reuven Resnick and a neighbouring community, The Beit Knesset at Amit led by Rabbi Mike Schultz.
• Sha’arei Shalom North Manchester Reform Synagogue led by Rabbi Norman Zalud.
• Menorah Cheshire Reform Synagogue led by Rabbi Brian Fox.

Technorati Tags: Julian Wood,traffic accident,Jerusalem,Ein Kerem Hadassah Hospital,U.K.,USA,Israel,Rabbi Kannai,Kehillat Hakerem,Rabbi Reuven Resnick,Rabbi Mike Schultz,Shaarei Shalom Synagogue,Rabbi Norman Zalud,Rabbi Brian Fox,Facebook

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With a Political Will, There's a Human Way

I'll never forget Northwick Park Hospital. After all, it was where my dear late mother was taken after her sudden death during a visit to London in January 1996.

Indeed, very few British people  will ever forget that hospital.

A bare decade later during March 2006, six healthy young men ended up in intensive care there after volunteering to test an anti-inflammatory drug at its research unit. The paid volunteers suffered multiple organ failure after testing the drug and at one stage, two of them were critically ill.

Kathy Archibald of the Safer Medicines Campaign recalled the episode during a  recent BBC TV Politics Show interview (clip above) as part of the drive to reduce and finally stop the increasing use of animals in testing the safety of medicines for human consumption. She, like me, and countless others, fervently believes that there is always another - human - alternative.

While the pros and cons of the argument continue to be aired,  several facts are clear in favour of non-animal tests:

• Testing drugs on animals is immeasurably cruel.
• Animals and humans do not react similarly to many drugs - as the notorious consequences of Thalidomide and Avandia    make abundantly clear.
• Stem cell tissue and computerised techniques are accurate and painless.
• Many if not most of the decisions made about this issue are political not scientific.

As many British companies are being compelled to move away from animal tests for cosmetics and household products, let us hope that it is not too long before their use in medicines is also outlawed.

See also: http://wwwperfectlywriteasrain.blogspot.com/2010/10/safer-medicines-in-britain-and-israel.html

Technorati Tags: Animal Testing,BBC TV,Politics Show,Northwick Park Hospital,Kathy Archibald,Safer Medicines Campaign,Thalidomide,Avandia,UK

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Tasting of Cardboard and What's Gone Green!

"O for a draught of vintage! that hath been

  Cool'd a long age in the deep-delvèd earth,

Tasting of Flora and the country-green,

  Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!

O for a beaker full of the warm South!

" Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,

    With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,

          And purple-stainèd mouth;

  That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,

    And with thee fade away into the forest dim:"

(John Keats - 'Ode to a Nightingale')

 

Call me  a daft, sentimental ol' romantic but I reckon not all's sweet and rosy in the glorious Galilee.

I'm not the only one to complain that local food, which I had imagined to be swollen with  pride and desperate to fall off the vine and onto my lap, is in fact a grave disappointment.

Someone, who thinks like me, opined this week on a chat board:

"... since  making aliyah (emigrating to Israel) over two months ago we are yet to taste any decent fruit and veg! Everything seems tasteless, and it's obvious they use a lot of pesticides round here. We have been sent to Dahan (the market) which was cheap but still not very tasty. All the tomatoes, cucumbers, melons... tasted of nothing. For this we made aliyah??!"

 

I agree wholeheartedly. The Dahan (or Dohan) in Karmiel at first glance is a cornucopia of exotic and more mundane fruit and vegetables, but these most often are hard, dry or perversely wet and mangy and last barely a week in the fridge before they droop, wrinkle and develop age spots or worse.  Further, the produce available is 'repeated' in many guises throughout the market. So, you can buy a half-dozen varieties of  pepper and aubergine, sweet apples and plums, mangos and all sorts of other exotica - but try buying dark green cabbage - until they feel like supplying it ...

Meanwhile, this afternoon, I spent a half-hour salvaging once green, glossy pears which had become blackened and bruised just by sitting carefully bagged in the fridge.

I wondered on becoming a resident, why everything was sold on such a large scale: fridges the size of wardrobes, vegetables bearing Amazonian tendrils,  squashes and aubergines the size of baby whales ...

I also wondered - not unreasonably - why so many foods available year-round in the U.K., never appear on the shelves here.

"Oh, the market's seasonal ..."; "you'll only see (whatever) when it's in season ...";  "it's not the season ..."  "wait until next month ..."

So, can anyone explain, please, why  certain produce appears and disappears within a week, only to reappear several weeks later? Even as a ignorant townie, I know that a 'season' lasts for more than a week or a fortnight and does not conclude only to resume a couple of weeks later. Maybe it has more to do with supply and demand. Israeli food is surprisingly expensive. Even so,  I guess the local farmers prefer to sell for export and while  the best goods are flown abroad, we are treated to left-overs!

However, I have enjoyed experimenting with some 'new' fruits for the first time, even when they've disappointed. This summer I've dished up a prickly pear, a huge courgette (more like a gourd), exquisitely tiny aubergines, Jerusalem artichokes and unpleasantly hard, dry and tasteless fresh dates. The last were particularly disappointing compared to the sweet, dried variety I remember as an extra to mandarins during the winter holiday in Blighty. I didn't have a clue how to prepare the prickly pear and scoured the Internet until I found:

"How to Cut and Prepare Prickly Pears"

by Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic

 

"Method

1 Slice both ends of the prickly pear off. Discard them.

2 Make one long vertical slice down the body of the prickly pear.

"3 Slip your finger into the slice and grab a hold of the skin.

"4 Begin to peel back the thick fleshy skin that's wrapped around the prickly pear. Discard the skin. You'll be left with the prickly pear itself. The flesh is studded with tons of little edible seeds, if you like them, feel free to just chop the prickly pear up and eat, seeds and all.

"I myself prefer just the juice. To extract the juice, place the "husked" prickly pears into a blender or food processor and pulse until liquefied. Place the juice into a fine mesh sieve and push out the juice into a pitcher or bowl. Discard the remaining pulp and seeds.

"Use the juice as you like. About four prickly pears will get you about 1 cup of juice. It's great mixed in with some fresh lemonade, just use equal parts of prickly pear juice to lemonade".

McCord recommends using the juice  in jam and sweets and says it "works wonders in cocktails and used in vinaigrettes for salads. I've used the juice to flavour cream cheese frosting for a lime flavoured cupcake, and have seen others boil it down with a bit of orange and lemon juice to make a sauce for fruit salads and cheesecakes".

 

Back to me: To be honest, I took the easy way out and after following the basic guide, simply chopped the pear and included it with other fruit salad ingredients. However, it helped to make everything temptingly pretty!

Further, a lovely blog Feed Your Vegetarian published this delightful and unusual recipe for the adventurous:

The author describes it as a "south-western twist on the classic mojito".

She writes: "... Instead of simple syrup, we used prickly pear cactus syrup! The syrup gives the drink a wonderful magenta and a mild fruity background. It's a very nice, refreshing combination".

 

"Prickly Pear Cactus Mojito

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoon prickly pear cactus syrup
6 to 8 spearmint leaves
juice of 1 lime (about 2 ounces)
2 ounces rum
1 to 1/2 cups cubed or crushed ice
2 ounces club soda

Method

In a tall glass, place the mint leaves, lime juice and the cactus syrup.
'Muddle' the leaves for 20 seconds to release the mint oils using either a 'muddler' or a wooden spoon.
Add the rum, and stir.
Fill the glass until 3/4 full with ice.
Top off with the club soda club soda.
Makes 1 mojito".

* For all those who believe, with some justice, that  I've been 'muddled' for years, I'll explain that a 'muddler'  is "a bartender's tool, used like a pestle to mash — or 'muddle' — fruits, herbs, and/or spices in the bottom of a glass to release their flavour".

So, now we know!

 

Have a great weekend!

Technorati Tags: John Keats. Ode to a Nightingale,Galilee,Karmiel,Dahan Market,Food,tasteless,seasonal,prickly pear preparation,Gareth McCord,Vanilla Garlic,Feed Your Vegetarian,prickly pear cactus mojito,muddler

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Perfectly Write As Rain!: Safer Medicines In Britain - and Israel#links#links

http://www.safermedicines.org/safermedicines/index.shtml

Safer Medicines In Britain - and Israel

With  a brother tucked up at Jerusalem's Ein Kerem Hadassah Hospital, enjoying the best that modern medicine can offer, you may wonder slack-jawed at my chutzpa.

How dare I question the provenance of the drugs which helped to save Julian's life following his horrific traffic injuries or by what means he's been  given a chance to enjoy a long and productive life?

Well, I do dare! Not only is the issue of using animals to test the efficacy of new drugs for humans a major concern in Britain, it is of equal importance in Israel where the Chai Online animal welfare website claims:

"While the Animal Protection Law at least attempts to promote animal welfare, the Animal Experimentation Law appears mainly to protect the interests of the bio-medical industry in Israel. Indeed, the aim of the Law from its inception was to regulate, not restrict, animal experimentation".

Although Israeli law effectively allows individual research institutes  to authorise animal experimentation at will and without public accountability, Israel's National Council for Animal Experimentation may  prohibit animal use where a "reasonable alternative" exists.

However, most council members are either representatives of the very  universities and drug companies conducting animal research or of government agencies heavily involved in the practice, such as the Ministries of Health and Science.

Indeed, the Council employs only one part-time veterinarian to inspect all research animal facilities throughout Israel.

To date, claims Chai, "the Council has not approved a single alternative to animal use". Shame on them as their action - or lack of it - in part runs contrary to Jewish law and traditional Jewish values.

While Jewish law maintains that saving human life is paramount, the principle of tzaar ba-alei hayyim is supposed to prevent causing animals unnecessary pain and should therefore stop their being used to test non-essentials like cosmetics and cleaning materials.

I would like to suggest that as there is a large "Anglo" community in Israel (citizens who originate from English-speaking countries) that Chai considers working in tandem with the U.K.'s Safer Medicines Campaign which has the support of many prominent people, including Members of Parliament.

Kathy Archibald, director of the Safer Medicines Campaign  was interviewed live last week on British TV's The Politics Show. The studio discussion focused on testing the safety of medicines.

The video above is a short clip about the SMC's work and philosophy. Be warned - although there are no animal images - it does not make comfortable viewing!

But for now I'll sign off by repeating what a cross-party group of British MPs was told in July this year at the launch of the Safety of Medicines Bill:

"A million Britons are hospitalised by medicines every year, costing the NHS £2 billion. We believe 21st century science can do better"...

"There is strong evidence that human biology-based technologies may offer significant improvements in safety as well as large reductions in cost and time. The comparison of safety testing methods proposed by the Bill is unprecedented and could benefit the NHS and patients dramatically. "

See  more  at:http://www.safermedicines.org/safetyofmedicines/bill.shtml)

Technorati Tags: Ein Kerem Hadassah Hospital,Julian Wood,drugs,animal testing,Chai Online,Britain,Israel,Safer Medicines Campaign,Kathy Archibald

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