i've marveled at the jerusalem morning glows, gleaming sunsets, moon-lit evenings, and starry nights on walks and outdoor hang-outs. . .and i even managed to escape relatively unscathed from a killer jelly fish attack on a Tel Aviv beach (learning to co-exist with all beings in this crazy land!).

i've been initiated into driving these thai highways again. last week on the way to burma i navigated the two lane highway that mimics a constant video game, on alert for dogs that stare you down from the middle of the road (somehow not comprehending you're hurtling toward them at speeds at least 100 km/hr), the two stroke engine motorbikes buzzing along to your left while trucks full of tree trunks come into your lane to pass other laden down vehicles on the right, and the languid pace of pedestrians in the villages dotting the roadside - all the while trying to get a glimpse of the gorgeous lush landscape stretching out from the ribbon of pavement.

The fishing hooks were still in her. One was barely hanging on, which I removed easily. The other was buried by her eye at least two inches past the barb.

After 3 days of Indian cuisine, the morning "shit, shower and shave" have turned into "shit, shower, and shit again". After getting clearance from my stomach, I head off for some pedestrian sight seeing around Calcutta.

i'm hoping the entry into the year of the dog won't mimic those pesky mangy creatures who chase me between villages on my way home at night whether on foot or on my bicycle, but rather that it will be as is being "advertised": one of trust, loyalty, and friendship.

the conversation included such questions as: . . . "is israel doomed to be led by ex-military generals or personnel given our compulsory army service-- and, if so, does that mean that we will always have a 'military culture' ingrained in our country's mentality?"; "given that the palestinians do not have a standing army, how should we defend our civilians from israeli army attacks-- or what is the israeli army's responsibility in protecting our civilians when they are attacking in response to a terrorist bombing inside their country?".

Upon arrival we were all given our numbers and participant t-shirts. While attaching my number I quickly found myself in the situation with a group of locals that would definitely have the ending question, "Help me get to America." It has become a pressing need in Nepal with the insurgency. Boys and men escape their villages to come to Kathmandu, where the population and crowding has become suffocating at times.