Hi Everyone,


Scorching hot "hamsin" weather here in Jerusalem.  It was 40oC (104oF) yesterday and will be the same or hotter today.  We are setting records for August in Jerusalem.  (Global warming?  The  weathermen say the Mediterranean is unusually warm and not buffering our searing heat as it usually does.)  I pity the Moslems; this is the Holy Month of Ramadan when they cannot eat or drink during the daytime.  Eating, ok, but no water in this heat?  That's dangerous.  But if they do it in Mecca, I guess they can do it here.....


As for me, I finally caved in and started using the air conditioner, partly because I became worried about my animals.  I can sweat, they can't.  So I'm keeping the setting at 27oC (82oF) which is quite comfortable for all of us without unneeded use of the machine.  My Dutch student has been working 12 hour days in the lab, mainly because there he has A/C and he only has a fan at home!  One way to get work done.


These are the August doldrums.  I got my desk cleared and preparations made for the international conference at the end of the month.  So now with a clear conscience I can take a day off work and go browse the renewed Israel museum with a clear conscience.  I've nipped in there for a couple quick visits and it is stunning, and huge.  I'm a member so I can go as often as I want, free of charge, and plan to take it in slowly and completely.  That's impossible in one day, so  I decided to do it in three, corresponding to its wings: archeology, Judaica, and art.  If I get saturated, I'll stop and pick it up again where I left off when I visit the next time.  It's one of the great museums of the world, and now it is really amazing.


Work is progressing well.  I'm getting a lot of positive feedback on my ideas about analyzing biodiversity related to habitat.  We needed a breakthrough in EBONE, and this might be it.  So I will be presenting it several times in the next six weeks and develop it with feedback ideas.  My one good idea for the year, perhaps.


Pets are doing fairly well.  I had noticed that my old ginger tom, Fatty, was steadily losing weight over the last several months and finally took him to the vet to find out what is the problem.  Kidneys.  Poor fella, kidneys always kill the cat in the end; they tend to have weak kidneys for their high meat diet.  Not much we can do; he's on a special cat food for kidney problems now, and fortunately seems to like it.  We are not sure if he will get better but at least we can slow the decline.  He's had several health problems in the last couple years, including diabetes from which he seems to have recovered.  The underlying problem is probably FIV, as with many of the cats I adopted from the street.  He's eleven years old, which is getting old for a cat, and probably will not get much older, but I will do what I can for him.  He's a favorite cat, always sweet natured and loving.  I'll hate to lose him when he dies, but that is what happens when you have cats.  It's better that I outlive them, because I hate to think of their fates if I die first.


shabbat shalom
Linda