Gaza and Israel

Sorry to go on and on about this conflict, but it sickens me. Israel is the real aggressor here, not Hamas. Yes Hamas has been firing missiles at ever greater range into Israel, but Israel has treated the people of Palestine like the scum of the earth for as long as I can recall. The people of Gaza and the West Bank deserve much better.

It is in the best interests of both Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate real peace that is fair to all sides. Israel should stop building settlements in Palestinian territory and stop its divisive war on Gaza. 

Is it any wonder the Jews are still hated? I hear anti-Semitic sentiment is on the increase. It does not surprise me.

Israel, the solution is in your hands. Elect a government that is serious about peace.  Treat your neighbours respectfully, as you yourself would wish to be treated. Did WW2 not teach the Jewish people anything?  WW2 was a great tragedy for the Jews of Europe, but why does Israel continue this hate?

What is missing is trust and guts. Now is the time for real peace.Get around the conference table and negotiate a just peace deal to end wars in the region for ever.

Small steps

The "My tracks" GPS app on my Samsung S4 mini phone is remarkably accurate. Today we walked to Budgens and back, and this is the track of the walk. Small steps - 1.27km in total.  A year ago,  this would have been a trivial little stroll. I have been further, but am grateful I can manage this.  

Walking as such does  not exhaust me: it is that I feel giddy that really tires me out.

I do want to be fully fit again soon.

Churches and little ones

What is it that fascinates very little children with old English churches? Yesterday we went to Snailwell church about 4 miles from Burwell.

In Snailwell Church yesterday

Both the "London" grandchildren love it. Neither go to churches normally. The little one  kept saying, "shhh" to us. I have no idea why! They have no religious association with churches, but they both love being inside them.

Snailwell is a very lovely little church with a round flint tower, more like a Norfolk church really. It dates back to the 11th century - very old. There are only about 10-11 regular attendees and they are finding it hard to meet the costs of repairs now.

Local taxes on large supermarkets

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28495631 .

All I can say is GOOD.

If this move helps councils to raise money locally all well and good. Some have called it the "Tesco" tax. Food prices might go up a bit, but more likely the profits of the big supermarkets will get trimmed. It must help smaller, local  traders.

What a sensible move, and not before time in England.  It already happens in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Giddiness and feeling so tired

Every morning I awake and ask myself if I'll feel a bit better today. My brain bleed was last September but I still feel giddy when walking. Some days it may be a little better, but not much. It seems worse when I am tired. Tired: the least physical activity just does me in. Totally. I am so profoundly tired most of the time. A mere shadow of my lively self I used to be.  People say I will recover. I hope so as my present condition is sending me crazy: I hate being as I am - an invalid unable to do any real work that needs any effort. We have a loft and I've felt too weak to even climb into it. Ladder work generally is out of the question, at least for now. Anything needing fine motor skills just about kills me.

Dangerous solar flares?

See http://nypost.com/2014/07/24/solar-flare-nearly-destroyed-earth-two-years-ago-nasa/.   According to the New York Times NASA now reports we very narrowly missed a CME event in summer 2012 that could have set the Earth back centuries. There may be a touch of sensational journalism, but the dangers are real.   Apparently the odds are still quite high that if could happen again (12%).

We are moving past the peak of the solar cycle to less active solar times, so we may be lucky. Such an event last happened in the mid 1800s before wireless, PCs, GPS and satellites. Let's hope we are now more prepared for such an eventuality. Scary stuff.

Cultural vandalism

I care not what the religion is, but I detest when one religious group or another believes they know better than history and destroy artifacts that have been religious icons for centuries. A few centuries back it was King Henry 8 vandalising English churches believing statues there were idolatrous. Not long ago it was Buddha statues in Afghanistan. Now we read ISIS has destroyed the tomb of Jonah. Once gone, these artifacts are gone for ever. We have no right to decide we know better than history whatever the case.

See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/25/isis-jonah-tomb_n_5620520.html .