Subject:  Dean, from Jerusalem

Shalom y'all,

"The Jordan River is chilly and wide ... halalujah,
Milk and honey on the other side ... halalujah"

Like many other folks, I sang that little ditty from "Michael, Row the Boat
Ashore" as a child.  So, I was disillusioned today when I crossed the Jordan
River, and it turns out to not  ring true.  Firstly, at 500 meters
(+1500 feet) below sea level and nearly constantly under sunny skies, I
don't believe that the Jordan River often gets very chilly (though I didn't
confirm this by trying to swim it).  Secondly, where we crossed it at the
King Hussein / Allenby Bridge, I don't think it's much more than about 12
feet wide.  With a good run, one might be able to leap it in a single bound.
Finally, the milk and honey thing may be true in some areas, but all I
could see for the better part of an hour before reaching Jerusalem was
mountains of sand.

Be that as it may, every time I visit Jerusalem, I am reminded of why people
have wanted to fight over this place through the millennia.  Jerusalem is
truly a beautiful city!  Three of the world's great religions have some
stake in the place, and I'm tempted to stake claim on it as well, in the
name of the agnostics and pagans of the world.

Every stone here screams "history"!  Unfortunately, these days, every stone
also screams "money"!  This must be one of the most fully marketed places in
the world.  Most holy sites require some kind of admission fee.  I ask to
take a photo inside a church, and a man says "five sheckles, please"!  I
feel like asking, "Will you throw in redemption and absolution for that
price?"

Actually, I came at an inconvenient time for visiting the holy sites.  Many
of them have been closed for two days in demonstration against the building
of a new mosque adjacent to a Christian holy site in Nazareth.  The Israeli
Government brokered an agreement between one Muslim group and some others
who wanted to see the mosque construction move forward.  Meanwhile, many
other Muslim and Christian groups are adamantly opposed to the construction.
Some muslim groups are accusing Israelis of trying to drive a wedge
between them and Christians, while the Israelis claim they were making
sincere attempts at mediation.  The world can be a complicated place.  Stay
tuned for more.

The view from the rooftop of my hotel may be the best in Jerusalem's Old
City, and at $5 a night, that is a bargain!

Bethlehem's new face lift is nearly complete.  Lots of money has poured into
the town from around the world.  I had a beer today with a couple of
Canadians who are the technical experts in charge of putting on a series of
shows over the coming year called "Bethleham 2000", that will feature
everybody from Bryon Adams, Sting and Paul McCartney to the Vienna Boys
Choir and the Pope.  The square around the Nativity Church (the traditional
place in which Christ's birth is celebrated) is quite small, so these major
performances will be viewed only by those receiving invitations.

The weather has been a perfect 10 through more than two weeks of travel.
This is the best time of the year to visit this region.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Deano

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