The Long Lens blog. Photography with added snaps.

Some Garry Cook photographic links

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 20:05:00 +0000

Most of my photography over the past 18 months has been occupied by long-term projects. Some are listed here.

The two most significant are Palestiniana (2013) a book about the troubles between Israel and Palestine detailed within five fun-packed days in the West Bank. It's packed full of photography.

And then there is Stay At Home Dads Are Not Welcome Here (2014) a book about taking a one-year old (my daughter) to various Women-filled playgroups. The photos for this book were shot entirely on a mobile phone camera. But not just any mobile phone - the best one available (then and now), the Nokia Lumia 1020.

Both books covers are shown below. And here are the links to buy them:

http://bit.ly/PalestinianaKindleUK
http://bit.ly/PalestinianaUK
http://bit.ly/PalestinianaKindleUS
http://bit.ly/PalestinianaUS

Stay At Home Dad... Kindle links
http://bit.ly/SAHDkindleUS
http://bit.ly/SAHDkindleUK

iPhone iMessage SMS text problems when switching to Android Windows phone

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 18:06:00 +0000

WARNING: Not a fun read this one. Keep away unless you have SMS iMessaging problems

UPDATE: November 2014 - Apple have created a fix for the iMessage problem on their page here. Not sure if it fixes all problems, so you may still need to read this article (below).

I’ve done several reviews and written pieces about the best mobile phone cameras on the market, most recently in August 2013.

The Nokia Lumia 1020, my current weapon of choice, is staggeringly amazing. And there is no doubt that the iPhone 5 is very, very good (though it’s flash system is behind the Lumia).

What I know now is you can’t be switching between an iPhone and any other phone without seriously damaging your ability to stay calm.

But what is not good about the iPhone 5 – or any iPhone for that matter – is how Apple’s iMessaging system can ruin the use of any other phone you use after it.

Now, you may not be aware of this problem so let me explain it briefly.

If you use an iPhone and then switch to Android/Windows/whatever anyone else with an iPhone will be unable to send you a text message.

And it is ALMOST impossible to fix the problem.

When I say almost, I mean there are no easy are totally satisfactory fixes.

Technically this is what happens: an iPhone sends iMessages rather than texts to other iPhones. If your simcard has been in an iPhone, any other iPhone will always think you have an iPhone even if you get rid of it. And it won’t be able to send you a text.

There are half a dozen suggested fixes for this problem, included what is called a ‘secret fix’ – but none actually work. This is why Apple has actually been sued over this problem.

Here they are briefly:

Before you switch phones, turn off iMessaging in your iPhone. Then reset it and wait 45 days before using your new phone.

NOTE: Doing this DOES NOT work and is totally impractical. Also, if your iPhone crashes and won’t switch on like mine did, this is impossible

‘Apple told me to ask all my contacts with iPhones to delete my contact and re-enter it, delete all previous text messages from me, and update their iOs.’

NOTE: Doing this DOES NOT work

iPhone user should Delete all previous messages from you.

NOTE: Doing this DOES NOT work

Secret fix: Change Apple ID password. Log out of Apple ID. Text STOP to 48369

NOTE: Doing this DOES NOT work (text message will not send, certainly here in the UK anyway)

Call Apple on 08442090622 (UK) go through the automated system to get to an operator. He does some stuff, sends you a text, you read him the code, he does something else and tells you that in five hours the problem will be sorted.

NOTE: Doing this DOES NOT work

Right, how for what POSSIBLY does work – but it is something that an iPhone user has to do and not you. And if, as is possible, over half the contacts in your address book are iPhone users you can’t expect them all to do it.

Basically, if the iPhone user is willing, they need to ‘turn on Send SMS when iMessage is not available’

This is how:

Settings >>>>Messages>>>Send as SMS (when iMessage is not available).

This is the only fix I have found which has worked. Possibly it is linked to the work of the call centre operator but this seems doubtful as what he did should have sorted the problem on its own – but did not.

I will not be using an iPhone again. I suggest you don’t either, unless you are sure you never want to come back from the dark side.

And that’s it.

Alternative Histories of Photography: Documenting the World

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 17:29:00 +0000

Photographic history is a big, complicated subject.

So, without going too deeply into what is, I would like to repeat some key points from a lecture into this subject.

The lecture was by Dr Kelley Wilder (De Montfort University), put on by photography network Redeye at Manchester’s amazing and well-hidden Portico Library & Gallery.

Dr Wilder, who is co-editor of a forthcoming book about what has driven humans to document the world through photography, spoke about how some of the modern photographs and photography collections which are hailed as important today might not be those that are looked back on as important in the future.

She talked of the importance of everyday history of photography, images of what we do or eat on a daily basis. Images that are less iconic than those in photographic history (man walking on the moon, Martin Luther King’s I Have A Dream speech) but perhaps more important in other ways.

This is what she said (paraphrasing) about the act of showing someone a photo: “Showing an image makes you talk. You talk about how it makes you feel. Film is different. Watching a film makes people shut up.”

It’s my opinion that this is the reason why images are so successful on social media platforms like Facebook. A photo is quick, convenient, and can have a huge impact on the viewer, albeit a few typed words replacing a spoken sentence.

NOTE: This is me with Dr Kelley Wilder.

RAW images converted to jpeg in Phase One Capture One Pro DO NOT show up in Facebook app on Kindle Fire

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 07:56:00 +0000

Almost all photographs - but strangely not every single one - I have been converting from RAW files to jpegs using Phase One Capture One Pro have not been showing up in the Facebook app on Kindle Fire.

A blank space appears in the app. Any accompanying text can be seen, just the image will not display.

I can't work out why one of the seven images I did upload (via a PC) did work on the app. It is possible this has something to do with the embedded colour profile (which was Adobe RGB 1998 I think) but all that stuff is a bit too complicated.

However, unlike the problem with Nikon image settings displaying washed out in the Mozilla Firefox browser, there is an easy fix to this problem.

And it's the fix you should always try before anything else:

Uninstall the Facebook app. Download the (new) Facebook app.

The problem is fixed.

It should be as easy as that.

Goodbye.

NEW BOOK: Stay At Home Dads Are Not Welcome Here (out soon)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 16:57:00 +0000

Stay At Home Dads Are Not Welcome Here is my new book which mixes writing and photography as I document my horrific experiences of being the only stay at home dad in the village.

The book will be available on Kindle in April 2014, and in paper format soon afterwards.

I was very fortunate to be able to use a Nokia Lumia 1020 mobile (cell) phone for this project. Nokia's award-winning camera phone - which takes the best images in the business - allowed me to visually document the project without distressing other parents at playgroups.

The book is full of the usual wry observations and moments of self doubt which my many, many fans love so much. If you're interested in the unfathomable relationship between the male and the female you will love this book.

If all this does not make you want to read this book, I don't know what will. Apart from the photos of me in sexy swimming trunks.

NOTE: You can find out more about the book here:http://arenotwelcomehere.wordpress.com/

Found photography (in a Preston car park)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 21:14:00 +0000

Other people's photographs can be very dull. If you've ever had to endure someone showing you an album of holiday snaps, you know what I mean.

But photography can also be brilliant - especially when you find it in a supermarket car park.

I found this outside the legendary Home Bargains in Deepdale, Preston, Lancashire.

And what a fascinating find, I'm sure you'll agree. A young girl in a traditional dress. An old man, possibly her grandad uncomfortably slumped asleep on the sofa. There's an old gas fire and a coffee table full of bottles and other hard to identify items.

When was it taken? It looks like to could have been the 1980s. Or it could be an old house in the 1990s. Is it as old as the 1970s. Only the little girl in the photo can tell me.

If you know who this is and would like to help me reunite this photo with its owner, you know what to do.

@gazcook

WARNING: Poor quality images on this blog

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 12:51:00 +0000

This blog is now packed full of low-res images thanks to a Posterous > Wordpress > Blogger import.

Thankfully hi-res images can be found at www.gazcook.com but on this site you will just have to squint and pretend the images are sharp*.

*NOTE: Though, strangely, if you click on an indicudal image a larger, sharp image can be seen.

Bye.

Best camera mobile phones (August 2013) includes iPhone, Samsung, Nokia, Blackberry

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 20:15:00 +0000

I've done some research on the best cameras on mobile phones. I did this just so anyone wanting a good camera on the cell phone can Google this page and choose an iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or Nokia Lumia and be very happy with themselves.

And so, from the best three websites reviews I have found, comes this list:

Best five cameraphones according to Which?

1 Nokia Lumia 925

2 Apple iPhone 5

3 Samsung Galaxy S4

4 Sony Xperia Z

5 HTC One

Best six camera phones according to Techradar.com

1 Nokia 808 PureView

2 HTC One X

3 Samsung Galaxy S3

4 Sony Xperia S

5 Apple iPhone 5

6 Nokia Lumia 920

Best three camera phones according to PCAdvisor.co.uk

1 Samsung Galaxy S4

2 iPhone 5

3 Blackberry Z10

Techradar review from march 2013, which may account for the Galaxy S3 being reviewed.

The iPhone is already renowned for its great camera. The Samsung Galaxy is obviously as good if not better. Interestingly, in Which?'s general mobile phone reviews the Samsung Galaxy comes out better than the iPhone. In my mind, this make the Galaxy the better option. It is also a cheaper alternative.

Palestiniana the book is out now

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:20:00 +0000

Palestiniana, my book of words and photographs, was released earlier this month (August 2013).

You can read more about it at the dedicated Palestiniana blog which is here.

But for now here is the front page and one or two images which from the book (apologies if they've been published on this blog before).

Marsden Grotto sea rescue, South Shields, South Tyneside

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 08:29:00 +0000

Top two photographs: Police arrive on the scene and speak to the stranded man. They ascertain exactly who is stranded: two people and two dogs.

Nine police officers attended the scene on the beach, plus a police helicopter, four coastguards and four paramedics. There were other members of the emergency services up on the hilltop, taking the number of people involved in the rescue to at least over 20.

The couple were rescued by an RNLI lifeboat.

Both form Jarrow, they were Michelle Ellison and Thomas Smith. The dogs are called Spot and Alfie.

NOTE: Please don't use these photographs without permission. And don't bother asking if you want to use them for free. Any unauthorised will result in some lovely emails from the National Union of Journalists.

And this is the moment (below) when the intrepid Tom Cook attempted to rescue the stranded victims. When he saw half a dozen police officers marching down the beach he immediately began climbing down shouting: "I was only messing around." He thought the police had come to arrest him. The two kids also thought they were in trouble.

Palestiniana, the book set for release

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 17:45:00 +0000

My story, with images, on Palestine is about to be released in book form and on Kindle.

To find out more about it and to see some of the images, see Palestiniana's own blog.

The blog includes the final cover for the book, which is not the cover shown below.

This image was taken in Qalqilya, in the West Bank in November 2012.

Happier days in Taksim Square, Istanbul, Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 21:25:00 +0000

As it all kicks off with protests, tear gas and government crackdowns, all I can say about Istanbul is that it is one of the most tourist friendly, cleanest and well-run cities I have visited.

Yes, the place is rammed full of traffic. It can take hours to get across the city in a car.

But the main city itself is easily negotiated by foot - if you don't mind hills - and has an excellent tram service.

The temples are sensational, the views across the Bosphorus brilliant. Food is sensational, culture coulorful and the city is safe. Which all makes the current (May/June 2013) troubles all the more disappointing for what is a progressive, developing nation.

Images taken in September 2011.

More on Istanbul here.

And there is also a Love Town travel video podcast This Is Istanbul here on iTunes.

Or it can be viewed online here.

DON'T READ IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR FUN IMAGES ETC: Mozilla Firefox, Apple Mac, image processing, jpegs, bleaching problem, colour profile

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:32:00 +0000

Having a few image processing problems with Mozilla Firefox again.

This problem first arose over two years ago where images uploaded on to this blog were being bleached ot in some web browsers, mainly Mozilla Firefox.

The same problem is happening again, though strangely not with every image I process.

This latest batch - all jpegs - were being viewed in Firefox on an Apple Mac.

To cure the problem, simply re-save your image in image-editing software, and when the Save As box pops up, uncheck the box called:

'Embed Colour profile: Nikon D2Xs Generic'

NOTE: BOLD ITALICS denotes my camera - yours may be different.

Thanks now. Bye.

Penwortham Town Gala (2013)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:23:00 +0000

Parade! It's parade season in Britain where communities come out in force to watch floats full of kids, brass bands and outrageous self-promotion by local businesses.

I ignored the children wearing estate agent's signs and, as usual, focused on the crowds. Most of these images were taken on Cop Lane and Hurst Grange Park, both in Penwortham, near Preston, Lancashire, England.

Nikon will fix grey market cameras! Broken camera, broken lens - and how to fix them (Nikon and Tokina)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 19:39:00 +0000

NOTE: This factual blog post is about servicing and fixing your Nikon camera and Tokina lens. It includes important information about grey market cameras (those bought outside the country of residence).

My six year-old Nikon camera needed a service. My Tokina lens needed a clean, plus the helicoid (a thin plastic guide which the front of the lens runs on) was also damaged.

Finding someone to do both jobs was not easy. I received quotes of varying prices. For the lens cleaning alone quotes ranged from £80 to almost £200.

Nikon

The major problem for my camera was that it was bought from Hong Kong and falls outside Nikon's UK warranty service.

On their USA website, Nikon state:

'Nikon Inc. USA cannot provide any technical support or warranty service on Gray Market items. Additionally Nikon Inc. USA cannot perform any fee-based repair work on Gray Market items. Please do not contact Nikon Inc. USA for help with any Gray Market products. Please contact the reseller or importer of your Gray Market items for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads'

Their European website says the same:

'Nikon European offices cannot provide any technical support or warranty service for Grey Market product, additionally they may not perform any fee-based repair work on Grey Market products. Contact the reseller or importer of your Grey Market products for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads.'

Basically Nikon refuse to deal with grey market cameras. However, I emailed Nikon UK and got a positive response.

I got this email from Nikon Europe Support:

-->

'Dear Garry,

Thank you for your email.

I am sorry to learn of the problems that you have been experiencing with your Nikon D2Xs. I would like to confirm that we provide out-of-warranty service regardless of the original region that the equipment has been purchased in.

We request that you register your camera for repair via the URL listed below. Once you have completed the form you will receive an email advising you to print the return label, giving you free postage through your local postal service. The return address will be included on the label.

Please note that the Service Department will need to inspect your D2Xs before they can submit an estimate or quotation. We can therefore unfortunately not advise regarding cost at this stage. The turnaround time for professional equipment is approximately 10 days, however may vary due to part availability, testing requirements, etc.'

I promptly downloaded the repair request form and sent my camera away to be fixed. A full service cost around £100. They even left some test images on my memory card from their service tests (below).

Tokina lens

I contacted Tokina's official European service team, which their website says is Kenro. However, Kenro no longer service Tokina.

I eventually found an independent repair man called Alan Marlow (cam-rep.co.uk). An ex-Konica service technician, Alan has been running his business for 27 years.

With excellent email communication, Alan quoted me a low price for cleaning my lens and then also advised me on my faulty helicoid which he fixed also. Total price £85, which I was very happy with. Below is an image Alan sent to me to help explain the helicoid problem.

IndieFlix and supporting documentary filmmaking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:41:00 +0000

The hardest part of documentary photography is getting your work seen.

I’ve written before about how some of the world’s documentary photographers struggle to get their award-winning published. There simply aren’t enough news-focused magazines to support the medium, financially or otherwise.

For those who have not gained a foothold at the picture desks of the British supplement magazines or the American and German markets, the challenge of getting their work scene is even more of a personal Everest.

Those who turn to the internet find shrinking hope. While online platforms are able to display images beautifully, the reality is that a personal website generates only passing glances.

The images we consume online these days are increasingly social media-led – either images from friends (Facebook and Instagram) or through apps, a kind of curated best of which often only considers work made available through agencies. The independent artist has been slowly squeezed out of the picture.

But perhaps there is a glimmer of hope.

For documentary filmmakers, who for so long like stills photographers are underpaid, underexposed and undervalued, there is an organisation created in 2005 called IndieFlix.

IndieFlix says about itself: “For far too long, filmmakers have been forced to either sell out or starve. Thousands of brilliant, creative minds submit their works to festivals, hoping to catch a meaningful audience. Fewer than one per cent actually break through. As if finding the financing and making the movie wasn’t hard enough in the first place. We’re here to level the playing field.

“Founded by filmmakers, IndieFlix is part champion, part curator. We’re so inspired by independent filmmakers and the work they produce, we’ve created a stellar platform for you to discover the best and quirkiest around.”

NOTE: IndieFlix asked me to review their service in May 2013

Novel Use = Nominal Payment. Alamy's low fee system

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:20:00 +0000

It was six years ago when I signed up with Alamy, the stock photography website.

I remember not too long afterwards it passed the 10million figure for images available to buy. If you're reading this anytime after April 2013 Alamy will have passed the 40million mark).

Shortly after signing up I sold a photo, of a black pug to be used on the cover of a 1,000 print-run calendar in Japan, for just over $600 USD.

One of the most recent images I have sold - shown here - was sold under the Novel Use scheme. For $1 USD.

Alamy markets itself on its great rates for photographers - it used to be 60per cent royalty rate in the photographers favour but is now 50per cent. But some hidden charges (such as Alamy Distribution Commission*) mean you never see the payment you're expecting after they take their cut.

So what is Novel Use?

Alamy themselves explain it like this:

We use the Novel Use collection when we are entering into deals that require a high degree of flexibility and are usually a departure from our core business. However, sometimes we may also work with familiar customers but in new and different ways as their businesses evolve.
If this all sounds very vague, I'm afraid that is intentional because the entire scope for Novel Use sales is impossible to define. New revenue opportunities present themselves as emerging businesses find a need for imagery and as technology continues to develop.
Our previous communications on Novel Use include the line below; your reaction to which should be the key driver behind your decision to sign up or not.
If you sign up to the Novel Use scheme you are giving Alamy permission to sell your images at any price and by any method we feel is appropriate.

Some of Alamy's contributors have discussed Novel Use on its own forums:

Frankfitz said in April 2012
'I recently withdrew from the Novel use scheme as it is simply not worth it. I had a 0.50 cents sale for an image which does not even cover the cost of charging a camera battery. Neither did it make any contribution to the other costs associated with getting to a location. That sort of very low fee is insulting to the professionalism of both photographers and Alamy and neither party can make any reasonable reuturn. Is it not time to scrap the Novel use scheme as the only people who benefit are buyers? Moreover, the amount of information supplied for a Novel use sale is derisory so photographers cannot be assured that their images are not being used by organisations which they may have ethical or moral objections.'

Pkphotos said in reply:

'if you want to operate as a charity by all means opt in to novel use. Otherwise it has no place as a sales option on alamy.'

For my own $1 image, I would love to know how it was used. So if anyone sees it on a billboard, postcard or sticker, let me know.

*Alamy Distribution Commission is a further 15-20per cent charge. As far as I can tell, it does not apply to Novel Use.
** Signing up for Novel Use is optional for all contributors. Withdrawal can be done every April. Don't ask me why.

A very quick guide on how to move a website name from one blog to another

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:24:00 +0000

WWW.COM.CO.UK.NET

Quick guide this.

It's because Posterous is closing that some of you may have to move your lovely domain name from there to a new blog. Possible new destinations are Wordpress (best found by searching for 'wordpress blog') or Blogger.

This is how to switch your .com or .co.uk etc domains from Posterous to Wordpress (other switches should be similar):

In Wordpress go to Dashboard > Store > domains

Click on: Add a domain (which you already own). This costs 13 dollars.

Then log on to the website where you registered your domain (this will be 123reg, GoDaddy etc).

Look for the DNS link, click on it and change the nameserevers boxers (there will probably be two of them) to: NS1.WORDPRESS.COM and NS2.WORDPRESS.COM

And you should be done (apart from maybe having to do a save in Wordpress).

Bye and apologies for being so dull.

The madness of Disneyland Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 21:44:00 +0000

Images taken March 2013.

How to twin the Holy Land with Scotland or Dundee = Nablus

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:12:00 +0000

[gallery]

Nablus and Dundee, two cities you would never ordinarily mention in the same sentence.

That’s because the two places, one in the West Bank of Palestine - the Holy Land – and the other looking out across the North Sea in Scotland, could not be less alike.

Nablus, a village inhabited by the Samaritan people before the birth of Christ, has a long and historically important history.

Situated between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it houses Biblical sites such as Joseph’s Tomb and Jacob’s Well, the Roman’s built the city from 72 AD an it was captured by Crusaders a thousand years later.

And then you’ve got Dundee, a Scottish coastal city which famous for Dundee cake, two football clubs and Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue.

Not the most likely town to be twinned with an ancient city in the Holy Land.

This bizarre twinning came about in 1980, with controversial on-off British MP George Galloway leading the link-up.

Galloway, along with now retired Ernie Ross MP and then Dundee Councillor Colin Rennie.

The trio met up with Nablus mayor Bassam Shaka’a in London after he came to London to receive prosthetic legs following a bomb attack in Palestine.

It’s fair to say that issues in Palestine and the Middle East, possibly first addressed by Galloway around this time, have shaped his career.

The twinning was so successful that when Shaka’a needed a second pair of limbs, he came to Dundee Limb Fitting Centre. Naturally.

In 1996 an official twinning document was signed by the Dundee-Nablus Twinning Association.

Strangely, I have been to Nablus but not Dundee – though I am a big fan of Scotland.

NOTE: In the photograph (above) is Nablus’ current Guvernor Jibrin Al-Bakri, who was the subject of an assassination attempt by Hamas - the Palestinian political party which governs Gaza - two years ago.
The book Palestiniana is coming soon.

Dundee is also twinned with Orleans in France and German city Wurzburg.

Nablus is twinned with Lille, (France), Nazareth, (Israel), Dublin (Ireland), Como (Italy), Florence (Italy), Naples (Italy), Toscana (Italy), Poznan (Poland), Rabat (Morocco), Stavanger (Norway), Khasavyurt (Russia) and, of course, Dundee.

Facts from the DNTA website:

General Information

Nablus is about 66 km north of Jerusalem, 42km east of the Mediterranean.

Summer is hot and dry, winter moderate and rainy. The temperature ranges from 8° to 26° Centigrade.

One of Palestine’s largest cities, Nablus has a population of 326,752 in 2003, about half in the old city and half in surrounding suburbs and refugee camps.

The City of Dundee is situated beside the River Tay, at sea level. It is at the end of a rift valley, and is overlooked by The Law: a ‘pipe’ or small volcano. It is about 60 km north of Edinburgh.

Summer is cool but sunny, winter is cold. The temperature ranges from about 0° to 20° Centigrade. It is Scotland’s fourth largest city, with a population of about 140,000.(in 2004)

Trade and Industry

Nablus is famous for its soap industry. Also for marble and building materials, pharmaceuticals, goldsmiths, and the making of delicious sweets, the local variety being called ‘knafeh’.

Dundee’s chief business today is in biotechnology, electronics and education. Also computer games, comics, tyres, and call centres.

Both cities have been important trading centres. Dundee's harbours are no longer as busy as they used to be, though it has enjoyed something of a revival with oil business and cruise ship visits. Nablus is at the junction of two ancient commercial roads running north/south and east/west. But in recent years Israeli road blocks have severely hampered imports and exports.

Education

In Nablus there are 66 public schools and 21 private. In the refugee camps and the villages round about there are another 104, with camp schools run by the United Nations.

There are two universities; An Najah University, largest of the universities in Palestine, with 19,000 students, and Al-Rawda National School. Nearly all the students live in the old city because it is impossible to travel daily from the villages through the checkpoints.

Dundee has 52 schools; 10 secondary, 41 primary and one special. There are two universities, Dundee and Abertay, plus Dundee College, with 33,000 students between them.

ADVERT: Palestine is normal

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:52:00 +0000

Do an image search for the world Palestine and almost every result contains the national flag. Of those results that are photographs, most show Palestinian protesters. In some there is the added ingredient of an Israeli Defence Force soldier to add contrast.

It is not so easy to find images of the country of Palestine, its landscape and its normality.

Palestine is a dry, hard, mountainous region. Its roads are dusty and, outside of the major cities, are free flowing.

Sometimes it takes a little bit longer to get from, say, Ramallah to Bethlehem, because somebody built a bloody big wall across the road which you now have to 20 miles round.

In the West Bank there are a lot of bloody big walls. But there are also a lot of roads, a lot of cars and lot of advertising.

The huge advertising hoardings are proof that, even in a country of military occupation whose people continually suffer in the struggle for freedom, anyone can still be persuaded to buy crap.

Folk off dancing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 17:28:00 +0000

Surely there is no better way to celebrate a day accidental activism, antagonising Israeli soldiers and visiting the birthplace of Jesus Christ. A night of traditional folk dancing.

If there is any form of dancing guaranteed to have you off the edge of your seat, half asleep and mind-numbingly bored, it’s folk dancing.

Anywhere in the world, this ritualistic jive is the reserve of the organised trip, where an unwitting captive audience is forced to witness unnatural body movements coinciding with music that no sane person would actually want to own.

And here we have folk dancing Palestinian style, where the smiles of the dancers hide the hours of pain spent perfecting a dance nobody wants to watch.

I attended this event after a day-long tour of Bethlehem and Hebron in the West Bank.

In Bethlehem I visited the Holy Church of the Nativity, built on the site of Jesus’ Birth 2,000 years ago. In Hebron I went into the old town H2 district, controlled by the Israeli Defence Force and inhabited by Israeli settlers.

H2 is not the best place for a group of 50 international activists to start singing ‘Free Palestine’ songs. Especially when they are already surrounded by IDF soldiers.

We got out of Hebron safely. Our local guide faired less well. Later that evening Israeli soldiers came to his home and arrested the Palestinian. He has been in an Israeli prison ever since.

While he was beginning his detention stint, we enjoyed the dancers. Just another day in the West Bank.

NOTE: Photographed at the Ramallah Cultural Palace on November 12, 2012.

Palestiniana, the book about my visit to the West Bank, is out soon on Amazon and for Kindle.

Nablus, West Bank, Palestine

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:55:00 +0000

[gallery]

Its pristine An-Najah national University university is the rated fifth in the Arab world. The university was closed by Israel during the First Intifada between 1988 and 1991.

Nablus is noted for its hot cheesy Kanafeh sweet and olive oil soap.

From my notes: Walk round the old town. We saw area of an old soap factory bombed by Israeli jet planes. On wall is a large poster of the family and people who died.

Took photo of young man outside shop (shop sold detergents etc) also photographed with owner. Ate deep-fried cheese sweets.

Yasser Arafat's final day of resting in peace (with visitors) - November 11, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:33:00 +0000

[gallery]

It was a surreal day anyway. Two hours sleep with an Italian/Canadian couple in the wrong hotel, then realising I was on an anarchist's bus tour through Palestine when they started spraying slogans on an Israeli settlement wall. And it was raining heavily. Not your usual day in Palestine.

And so, as the biggest thunderstorm to hit this region in decades descended, we were dropped off at Yasser Arafat's tomb in Ramallah. He had died, aged 75, eight years earlier to the day.

Arafat, former leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, was one of the most recognisable political leaders of the last 100 years.

The very next day this mausoleum was closed to the public as plans were put in place to exhume his body in order to certify whether he had been poisoned to death with polonium-210.

The soaking walkway to his tomb building is easily the most treacherous stretch of marble I have ever navigated. The red carpet had already turned into the world's longest sponge.

This is Palestine

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:03:00 +0000

This was not the trip I was expecting. Experience Palestine during National Youth Week, the email said.

So, after less than two hours sleep, after losing several journalists at airport immigration, after being taken to the wrong hotel where I am now staying in an apartment with a married Italian and Canadian couple and after killing a dog on the two-hour coach journey to Ramallah, how come I have ended up standing in front of reels of barbed wire watching international activists spray-paint a huge concrete wall which separates this desolate part of Palestine from the Israeli settlement beyond it?

Our Palestinian guide on this magical mystery tour, who has just been shouting at us to spray ‘Free Palestine’ in as many different languages as are present in our entourage, is now slightly more alarmist as he bellows: “Ten minutes, ten minutes. You must be quick. We can’t be here for more than ten minutes, the Israeli army is watching us. They will be here in ten minutes.”

This is the start of my five days in Palestine, which coincided with – some say sparked – the November 2012 conflict between Israel and Gaza.

A story of tears and tear gas across a nation where there are no youths in National Youth Week.

Palestiniana will be released on Kindle soon.