Hazards

December 25, 2001-Fire Hazards

We decided to sit by the pool this afternoon & nearly got blown away. I think the three buildings surrounding our pool create a wind tunnel much like the skyscraper canyons in Chicago. At least here it was in the 90’s. I was glad we were able to see the latest in safety swim togs. I know I keep mentioning the swimwear here, but I find it interesting. A family with three children came in from the beach. The kids were wearing brightly colored full body wet suits. This not only protects them against the sun, but also keeps them safe from the stingers of jellyfish. The poor kids looked like they were in straight jackets, but seemed to be having fun.

There’s a huge bush fire burning north of Sydney cutting it off from the rest of the country. It’s only accessible by sea & air. If a terrorist wants to do in the entire country, all he has to do is drop about a dozen matches at strategic locations around the large cities. The entire continent has always been a tinderbox. The 600 varieties of eucalyptus trees evolved to depend on fire to propagate. Their seedpods are as hard as concrete. They drop to the ground & stay there until a fire comes along. The outer shell burns off & the seed is released. There are also animals that depend on regular fires to burn the brush so that new shoots will emerge to feed them. Aborigines understood this & used it to their advantage. They conducted what was called fire farming. The difference between what they did & what modern farmers do is the Aborigines didn’t replant. They let nature do it for them.

December 27, 2001-Human Hazards

Yesterday was Boxing Day. All the stores opened with a vengeance. Sales were awesome & shoppers responded. This is the busiest shopping day of the year here. We just walked over to drop off some film & it looked like Mardi Gras. At times, we couldn’t see the pavement for the people.

It was outrageously hot so we took a dip in our pool. After 3pm the entire area is in shade. It’s nice not to have to worry about burning. I went up first to dress for dinner & David stayed at the pool just lounging & reading. The man next to him asked if he was staying long & David said that he was. The man was a long-term tenant too.
Man- Are you here on holiday?
David- It’s a little bit of work & play.
Man- Where are you from?
David- The U.S.
Man- What do you do?
David- I’m a rabbi. There was a long silence.
Man- What group is that?
David- Judaism. Another long silence followed.
Man- Who follows that?
David- Jews
Man- Are there any Jews in the U.S?
David- Yes
Man- Is your family from the U.S?
David- I was born there, but my grandparents came from Russia.
Man- Are there Jews in Russia?
David- Yes (He excused himself & escaped to the apartment)
This conversation goes to show you how far the people of Australia will go to provide me with anecdotes to email you all. You should be grateful.

We met friends for dinner at a Korean restaurant. She's the one who wrote the book about her experience as a 9-year old. She escaped to England from Nazi Austria alone. I guess we should tell that man there are Jews in Europe too. Our friends lived in Israel for 41 years. When the subject of the latest terrorist attack attempt came up we were conjecturing about what would happen to the man who tried to ignite his shoe & blow up the American Airlines plane. I maintained that no matter what he was charged with, he would initiate a suit against the doctors who sedated him without his permission. He won’t win, but the doctors or their insurance companies will be out some money to defend even if it’s thrown out of court. When the issue of the military tribunals came up, Sue said the U.S. has to consider that this is wartime. In Israel they lost some of their civil rights from time to time to insure their security. She said that civil rights are for civilized people.

Toby